Crappie Taste

Hey everyone. I'm not asking for marital advice, but I don't know if I can win this argument. lol. In the past year, I introduced my wife to Venison and Duck. She had venison before, and told me that it tasted "gamey". I begged to differ on that. I did get a deer this year, and she enjoyed that. I then proceeded to take a few ducks to introduce her to that. She didn't care for them. :( Now, I have about 8-9 good size crappie in the freezer, and I'm going to be cooking them this week. I plan on cooking them the same way I always have, and the way Dad always did when I was growing up. Dredged and fried, whole. HOWEVER, since I started keeping them, she has mentioned to several of her friends that I caught some crappie. They have all (at least 4-5 people) stated that they tasted terrible, and no one likes them... Again, I beg to differ... I grew up eating all kinds of fish from MN. Walleye, Pike, Bass, Pan fish... the Walleye is my number one, and Pan fish is a close second. Just out of curiosity, have any of you been in the same boat (pun intended), and how did you cook the fish to show that they are good?

I should add. When we first met, we went camping at Lake James. I managed to catch a few really nice Brim, and cooked them for her. She did like that. Now I feel like her decision on the taste of Crappie is going to be tarnished by her friends and coworkers bad reviews of crappie...

Ask her (or her expert opinion friends) what fish she likes and secretly buy and cook that and say it's crappie. Wait to see what happens...

My favorite eating fish in order Yellow Perch, Crappie, Walleye and all are pretty much prepared the same way. Fillets are cut into 1" pieces, dredged in seasoned flour/cornflour mix and fried in canola oil. Served with a good tarter sauce and a spicy sweet and sour sauce. Most fish tends to be overcooked and a lot of people seem to think fish needs to be dry and chewy. Overcooked fresh water fish is IMO nasty and it should be a crime to serve.

I've always had an annual fish fry in February to clean out my freezer and there are a few people that can identify all 3 species by taste but most just crunch and munch away. Crappie IMO get a bad rap because most non crappie fans have never had them at eating size. I was one of those until I moved to central alabama in the early 80's. Went with some friends fishing proceeded to catch the biggest crappie I had ever seen and was told its too small, throw it back. In my mind, I had a world record fish 15". About that time someone caught a 18" and it made my Giant crappie look like a baby. Lesson learned and later while eating the freshly caught fish decided that crappie were good...

Being back in the north, I no longer catch the Big crappie, but learned that 12" and longer are better eating.

I always fillet mine & skin mine. It is very quick and easy with an electric knife. I then batter them with some good fish breader and deep fry them. My wife's aunt would rather come over and eat crappie than go to any seafood restaurant in Raleigh. A few weeks ago I cooked some at church for a couple of families and they loved them. There were four girls from age 5-10 and they liked them better than chicken fingers.

MNKK, some folks don't like crappie or any freshwater fish because they think they're supposed to taste like saltwater fish. I've had some friends tell me that crappie tasted like cotton, or didn't have much taste. Plus, lots of folks don't know how to cook fish at all. They don't have to always be fried and battered. I fillet my crappie, then coat them lightly with cornmeal, place them in an oiled baking pan and bake them for ten or fifteen minutes (depending on their thickness). The fillets come out lightly brown, tasty, but not dry or cottony. I also believe in using spices like cumin or pepper or seasoned salt. I use olive oil to bake them in. Crappie.com has a very large array of crappie recipes these folks can try, too. Good luck. Flatfoot

Thank you all. You've boosted my confidence in this. :D

Fillet and deep fry with a coating of your choice and the taste and texture is very similar to walleye in my opinion. I like the Zatarains fish fry mixes but I'm sure there are a ton of other good ones out there. My wife and kids will only eat venison in stews or jerky, but they will eat fried crappie like popcorn.

I would never give anyone that's iffy about eating a certain type of fish one that has bones in it!!!!!!!!!!!! I fillet all crappie regardless of size!!!!!!!!!!!

If she could stomach bream then I would think some nice skinless, boneless crappie fillets would taste exquisite to her!

We have a annual oyster roast at my local fire dept. Every year in February. We used to buy 10lbs. Of Whiting or Trout filets and there were ALWAYS fish left over. 3 years ago I started supplying all the fish and they where all crappie filets. The first time I took 15 lbs. And there wasnt a CRUMB left. The second year I took about 20 lbs. Again ALL were eaten! ! This past February I took 15lbs of crappie filets and 15 lbs of yellow perch filets......... yep 30 lbs of nothing but filets and nearly all of that was eaten and we were missing a few members that night!! The guys say that they are some of the best fish that they have ever had!! Please tell her friends that they had some badly cooked fish because there is no way that many people would not like them. Good Luck. J. C.

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Originally Posted by brucec

I would never give anyone that's iffy about eating a certain type of fish one that has bones in it!!!!!!!!!!!! I fillet all crappie regardless of size!!!!!!!!!!!

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That's good advice. Don't fry them whole for someone the first time. Fillet them and make it easy on them.

It depends on your wife's personality, but if she is willing to try deer and duck, and give it a fair shake, her friends opinions may actually help you out. If she goes into it with low expectations, and you fix the crappie up right, she will be pleasantly surprised. At least that's the way my wife is. It's all about expectations with her. On the other hand if your wife has the kind of personality where her opinion is tainted by her friends and she won't give it a fair try, then you've lost the battle already.

I also agree that if she ate bream and liked it, she ought to like crappie even better.

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Originally Posted by ppowell

Ask her (or her expert opinion friends) what fish she likes and secretly buy and cook that and say it's crappie. Wait to see what happens...

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After 43 years of marriage I have to say that's NOT a good idea.
You may want to try fillets cutting out any blood lines. Also soaking the fish in a brine before cooking
Just my 2 cents

Fillet the crappie for sure. Bread them in House-Autry seafood breader. Any grocery store carries it. Heat oil to 350 degrees. If you can afford it use peanut oil. Drop the fillets in and cook them until they float. Do not over cook as mentioned. They will soak up too much oil and be greasy. For a nice dipping sauce use equal parts of ketchup, tatar sauce (or mayo if you don't like the relish) and honey. Mix the three up in a bowl. Let us know how it turns out!

We all just soak fish or any wild game meat in lemon juice and salt. Lemon juice will take out the wild taste and salt of course take out the blood. Then just cook the way you want to. Hope this helps.

Blackening season fish, cast iron skillet, awesome fish tacos!

Not for me, but I would add a little spice to the breading, or use a prepared breader like Zatarains. I would also soak the fish in milk or buttermilk for at least a few hours before frying. Good luck! Also, a good batch of hush puppies complements your fish fry greatly.

Crappie,why do you think they have such a bad name? They are not fit to eat,they taste like CRAP,throw everyone you catch back.you must have a bad taste in your mouth if you like them things,uuugh

Crappie to me one of the best eating fish going. I like to soak my in sea salt, water over night. Used to dip in egg & buttermilk before using yellow cornmeal. Now I just used the yellow cornmeal and the fish com's out a golden yellow. Yum!
LittleJohn

I'm glad to announce it was a success! I cleaned the fish a second time, then soaked them in a bit of brew, drip dried them, then breaded them in the Cajun Louisiana (brand) breading from the store, and fried in Canola (all we had...). She did not have any problems with eating around the bones (a born natural after some quick advice from me on taking apart a fish). She stated that it was not bad, but she "wouldn't want to eat them every day. Maybe once or twice a month!" I take that as a win in my book. Her friends must have had some bad fish or something. I'm not sure.

I hate fish. But after being introduced to some filleted breaded deep fried crappie, wow. The oil in the fryer seems to make a difference.
As far as your Duck, Venison, it has a lot to do with meat prep after the kill. Take the duck breast and soak them in cold salt water for 2-3 days. Change the water everyday. Venison can taste wild if not cleaned properly, or if a big buck is the source of meat.

I completely agree Bassing. The first deer I got this past year was in the freezer within 2 hours after being shot. She liked that deer. The second one I got this year was a buck. The meat definitely tasted much more gamey. I also like that I can use more of the animal now, than I did before too. After I get the edible to human parts off, and processed; I take my time and remove more parts for the dogs. Weather I grind up the tougher parts for food, utilize the heart and lungs, or use some of the bones (femur, upper leg, etc.) for treats. They love them too! As for Ducks, I still have about 4-5 bluebills in the freezer. She said she would give it one more shot. If she still doesn't like them, then I guess I'll just start giving them over to friends after the hunt. I really just like going out, and hanging out with my friends. I'm just really glad she is willing to try things before judging them off of the opinions of others... or maybe she just trusts me... lol who knows.

if temps permit, venison is best if allowed to hang and age just a couple days. Best if its cold enough to not spoil, but warm enough to not freeze.
I took some goose breast recently and cut them up into bite sized chunks, browned in butter in a fry pan. Took the whole works and dumped in a crock pot, covered with cream of mushroom soup. Cooked on low about 5 hours. Then put it on toast. Could use noodles or mashed potatoes. It was very tastey. Maybe the duck would work too.

I would have to agree on the filleting. I usually make my own beer batter using one cup of Bisquick put in a tablespoon of old Bay a bit of salt and pepper and enough beer to make a thin paste on the fish and fry em up. Mighty tasty. The fish have a little non fishy taste. One of the better tasting fish to me

This is a delicate situation and will take time. Try deep fried filets with out bones!