Cleaning method for a brim

This is the method I use to clean all brim that I will fry whole.

Start by scaling all the fish. Then put the brim on his back with his belly up.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0383.jpg

Locate the vent and position the knife right behind it. Make a cut straight down to the backbone.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0384.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0385.jpg

Turn the knife towards the head and keeping it parallel to the backbone cut all the way to the pectoral fins.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0386.jpg

Turn the knife to cut downward at a forward angle. And voila.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0387.jpg

Cut on each side of the dorsal fins to complete the job.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0392.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0391.jpg

Ready to fry up. The meat just peels from the backbone and there are no ribs bones to worry about. If you cut the ribs really close to the backbone you usually get the pin bones also. At this point if I need to feed some young'uns or old'uns I just fillet one side all the way leave one side on the bone as rango mentioned in another post. Cleaned this way I started my kids on them when they were about 8 years old with some lessons on where the bones are. I use an electric knife because it's easier to cut through the bones that way. Just my way of doing it. This way also leave he tail and dorsal fin intact for that little extra flavor treat.

"gene"

interesting

how do you usually cook them after that?

Had you scaled the fish in the pic? It didn't look like it, but I'm not sure. also when you scale a fish, how does the skin taste? I've never eaten the skin on one and wanted to try scaling to get the most out of the meat. Do you just batter and fry it from there? Also, the way you do it, I'm guessing you make those cuts ahead of time so that when its done cooking, it just pulls off the bone easily , is that right?

now thats a quick way of doing that, as for cooking them heres what i do. grease or peanut oil at 375 as for the fish dip the fish in a egg wash and then either add flower or corn meal which ever you want and then cook for 20 to 30 mintues or until golden brown. as for side dishes shreded hash browns yall know how the waffle house does them. and maybe another veggie of your choice. and wash it down with a big cold jug of sweet tea.

My method of cooking them is to only dust them with Zatarin's fish fry, which is a basically corn flower. It comes in many flavors but I prefer the original. I add salt and pepper to taste. There is no batter of thick crust on the fish to hide the delicate taste.

baptistpreach, those in the pictures are scales already. Those cuts are made before dusting in corn flour. As you said the meat just peels of the bone. The skin to me is an added treat as is the fins and the eggs.

Waffle House hash browns kick.

"gene"

I didn't say earlier but these are fresh caught fish. I never freeze any. So although I don't use a batter or egg wash, these fish are freshly rinsed and are still damp when the corn meal is dusted on them allowing it to stick to the fish.

"gene"

I'll have to try that later this year when i start going fishing for them. except I think i will use flour instead of cornmeal, cornmeal doesnt seem to come out right for me.

I like your cleaning method and will give it a try when the gills go on the beds.

Too much work for me. I can fillet a bluegill in no time flat and get most of the meat with zero bones and only a small mess to clean up. But I try to keep only the large adults. I appreciate you sharing the info, that looks very interesting.

Great method, I will try that next time I catch some bream.

I will have to try that method.. but for now i still like mine fillet style

Check out on YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. and in the search engine type in Bluegill filleting technique by Muskymod. He is a master with a manual fillet knife. No waste. Also check his video called bluegill fry, he will make you want to go to the freezer to thaw some out to fry.

Might have to give that a try!!!!!!

Fatman

Im into this pawpaw, I scale and cut the heads off a couple messes a year just to remember what it was like as a kid. Actually I did it this past weekend and they were wonderful. I will try your method for sure and everyone remember, the closer to the bone the sweeter the meat! Thanks for the info pawpaw.

have you guys tried the panhandler box a friend uses it, says its easy and no wasted meat heres a link
D & D Enterprizes

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Originally Posted by jhef

have you guys tried the panhandler box a friend uses it, says its easy and no wasted meat heres a link
D & D Enterprizes

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I have never seen one of those. It just might work though.:)

seen something similiar at academy a couple of days ago.. Do they work?

I just filleted 46 gills last night in 23 min. with my Rapalla 12 v . Sure it might be fast and easy, but Paw Paw has it together for the very finest flavored bluegill. These easy fillets can't, in any way, compare to the wholsesome flavor of whole fried bluegill.:cool:
Thank you for the post, Paw Paw. I'll be scaling a batch next time I get on some nice ones. Illinoisgiller

well hell if yall say they taste better like that i will have to try it out then!

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Originally Posted by sharpshooter223

I'll have to try that later this year when i start going fishing for them. except I think i will use flour instead of cornmeal, cornmeal doesnt seem to come out right for me.

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You are in Washington state right, so you can't get a decent bag of good cornmeal. I'm a redenck though, we would never eat flour on a fish. I've been reading up about differents tastes in different parts of the country latelly. Its kind of like making biscuits, my grandmother told me "if you ain't got any White Lillly flour, then you can't make a biscuit". I just learned only on the south do people use white cornmeal mostly. Everybody else uses the yellow most of the time.

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Originally Posted by ga.crappie&breamguy

then cook for 20 to 30 mintues or until golden brown.

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Man are you talking about panfish or potato chips? I leave my fish in 350-375 degree grease for no more than 10 min.(usually 7-10min.) and if they stay any longer the meat starts cooking right off the bone...:eek:

Pretty neat cleaning technique. I'll have to try it, though I usually leave the dorsal fin alone if I'm doing whole fish. Once the fish is cooked, you can pull that dorsal fin right out and not leave anything behind.

great post, other than trimming the anal fin just before your first cut, i do mine much like you do. I have never, however, tried trimming the meat away from the back bone, never honestly thought about it, but will sure give it a try, sure it cooks much quicker this way. I always trim the fins off, saves on room in the skillet, and most appreciate the effort.
I honestly cant say wether its the skin left on, or the bones that enhance the flavor so much, but for those of you who have ever had a bluegill "whole", its entirely different than one filleted, do yourself a favor, and try it.

Psmith, i aint quite below the Mason Dixon line, but i was raised that ya fry fish with cornmeal, and chicken with flour, period.
Recently, i have been experimenting with different box mix breadings, and so far "Andy's", and "Drakes" and "Magic Fry" have become clear winners.
Andy's is primarily a cornmeal based breading, whereas the other two are flour based. But if you mix them up right, you can make a killer fish breading. Magic fry used to be a cornmeal based breading, but this last box was a flour based breading.

Far as cooking goes, if mine make it 10 minutes in the skillet, its cause im distracted, my panfish fillets cook for about 3-5 depending on size, a whole fish maybe 7-8. I cook with very very hot oil, and dont like to cook them to death, the faster you get them out of the oil, the less oil you eat, and the more natural fish flavor you get.

:cool:HB

I just scale it, gut it, chop the head off, then wash it up good. Pan fry in some butter with the skin on. Yummm. Don't cook a bunch if there are kids around so they don't get a bone, give them nice boneless fillets.

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Originally Posted by Hillbilly910

Far as cooking goes, if mine make it 10 minutes in the skillet, its cause im distracted, my panfish fillets cook for about 3-5 depending on size, a whole fish maybe 7-8. I cook with very very hot oil, and dont like to cook them to death, the faster you get them out of the oil, the less oil you eat, and the more natural fish flavor you get.

:cool:HB

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This is my opinion exactly. I most always cook whole fish and the bigger ones usually have to stay there around 10 min. Most about 7 min. tops. But I hate to go to a fish fry where somebody has fried the fish for so long that the meat is tough and stuck to the bone. A WASTE!!!!!!:confused:...Think I'm gone fry up a big bunch Sat. nite just from talking about them.:D:D

Hillbilly, my Dad always trimmed the all fins when cleaning fish, but I don't agree because of this. Fins are bones that stick out of the fish and when you trim them you leave the short pieces of bone in the flesh which makes it easier to get lost in the flesh. When you leave them whole at least you know where they're at. Even my kids learned at an early age to eat fish off the bone after showing them exactly where they were and how to eat around them.

"gene"

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Originally Posted by PawPaw "gene"

When you leave them whole at least you know where they're at. Even my kids learned at an early age to eat fish off the bone after showing them exactly where they were and how to eat around them.

"gene"

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Exactly, there are some people that if you were to hand them a cooked bream still intact they would look at you with that "deer in the headlights look." I love the meat around those bones!!!

i skin mine,i know it sounds crazey but i can skin'em as fast as i can scale'em,m father,n law skined his fish as mother'en law would not eat them any outher way.

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Originally Posted by ga.crappie&breamguy

for cooking them heres what i do. grease or peanut oil at 375 as for the fish dip the fish in a egg wash and then either add flower or corn meal which ever you want and then cook for 20 to 30 mintues or until golden brown.

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Fry them for 20-30 minutes? Wow, are they still edible at that point?

My whole bream or crappie (I do save a few just for whole frying) never see fryer for more than 5-7 minutes with oil at 350-375.

Absolutely, I really do enjoy whole fried bream and crappie and leave the fins intact...it makes them easier to pull out and leave no bones or fragments of them. I also fillet quite a few myself when I get into them.

I agree, great pics but it fillet or nothing.