just for a change (bluegill recipe)

I have been eating a lot of bluegills lately. I just roll them in dry Drakes batter mix with onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper added and fry them in corn oil. That is still my favorite way to fix bluegills. Today I wanted to do something different so I melted half a stick of butter and added about that much sherry. When a slice of finely diced sweet onion and a clove of minced garlic had sauted in that for a few minutes I reduced the heat and poached my fillets in it for ten minutes while turning once. I was able to do two batches of twelve fillets though I don't think I could have done any more without adding more butter and sherry. I'd take a picture but the fish all disappeared.

no pics and it didn't happen. :mrgreen: Sounds like you had a good meal.

For something completely different, try filleting your gills...

When the skin is removed, the meat taste totally different...Lighter, cleaner, not at all like a gill...

Not that ther is anything wrong with the flavor of a gill cooked with in its skin.

sounds delicious. i love bluegill but can't filet them (or any fish) worth a darn. would be better off using a brick than a knife sometimes.

I agree, I fillet all my fish (not trout) and they have a great taste.
Sounds like you have found a new way to cook your bream. :)

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Originally Posted by dpenrod

i love bluegill but can't filet them (or any fish) worth a darn. would be better off using a brick than a knife sometimes.

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The only way to learn to filet fish is to do it. We all messed up a lot as beginners and I still will get an occasional two piece fillet.

RBC is right, you need to start with a good sharp flexible blade. I have a brother in law that catches crappies with zippers on them, there is not way you can clean a fish that fast. Of course, he cleans over a thousand most years. I have a young lady friend a freshman in college majoring in biology preparing to apply to medical school who can unzip them pretty well I think. Probably make a heck of a surgeon.

About the only fresh water fish I filet is bass (usually small mouth) and that is because of the method used for cooking. Now, as for gills, any ole fisherman worth his salt KNOWS fish taste better cooked with their heads on. About the only way you will prove this to yourself is the taste test. Cook one each, with head on and another without, in the same pan, corn mealed or floured the same way, and have at it. By the way, a fileted gill (IMO), not even in the same league.

This year I finally learned the art of filleting small fish which came out of necessity with a large mess of Crappie a group of 4 of us caught this spring. We had a big fish fry and none of the other guys felt confident with a knife. I found a great video on youtube and followed it to the letter. I have since carried this over to some gills and it works great. I simply fillet the fish (works best if the fish have been iced down for a while but not frozen), soak the fillets in water as I clean them.Pat them gently dry on paper towels, then soak them in an egg/milk wash while heating up the pan and grease. Dust them with 50/50 mix of flour and cornmeal season with Tony Cachere's or sometimes just salt and black pepper, and fry them til just crisp. Scrumptious!

That recipe sounds good! My current favorite is using panko breadcrumbs seasoned up with crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and black pepper. A little egg wash, into the breadcrumbs, and some hot grease.

Me and my electric knife can blow through a pile of gills in fairly short order. I like to slip down fillets way too much than have to worry about bones and skin!

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Originally Posted by appalachian angler

Dust them with 50/50 mix of flour and cornmeal season with Tony Cachere's or sometimes just salt and black pepper, and fry them til just crisp. Scrumptious!

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Now the Yankees know about Tony's, if there's a shortage due to over consumption in places like Kansas, we're going to blame you!

I resemble that remark! Tony's is good on everything...

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Originally Posted by DaleW

About the only fresh water fish I filet is bass (usually small mouth) and that is because of the method used for cooking. Now, as for gills, any ole fisherman worth his salt KNOWS fish taste better cooked with their heads on.

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Skin or no skin? And if skin, how do you get around it? Yucky sounding.

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Originally Posted by adglife

Skin or no skin? And if skin, how do you get around it? Yucky sounding.

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You dip it in milk and egg and roll it in corn meal before submerging it in hot oil of your choice. I was grown before I ever ate any bream that had the skin removed. Catfish was the only thing that got skinned back when the earth was flat.

I use cornmeal, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.
Coat fillets and bake 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees on a Pammed cookie sheet.
2nd soak fillets in Soy suace then baked the same way.
I fillet the fish so I am done with bones and all when I eat them.
With some practice you can do a fish in less than 1 minute.

Riuck

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Originally Posted by adglife

Skin or no skin? And if skin, how do you get around it? Yucky sounding.

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Do you mean for the fileted bass or for the gills ...?

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Originally Posted by DaleW

Do you mean for the fileted bass or for the gills ...?

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Gills. Filleting is obviously the best choice with bass since they are bigger.

poach fillets in this:

1 onion chopped
4 finely minced garlic cloves
2tbs each:
oregano
basil
parsley
rosemary
2, 14oz cans whole or diced tomatoes
sweat aromatics in 1/4 cup olive oil until tender ,
add herbs and tomatoes simmer for about 2 hours.
Whiz with a hand blender to your taste, then
return to a bare simmer in a shallow skillet and add fish.
Cook untill flakey, serve with orzo, and a nice salad.
Thia will work with any fish, and is very, very , good.

That does sound good. I'll try it the next time I need a change from fried fish.

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Originally Posted by dpenrod

sounds delicious. i love bluegill but can't filet them (or any fish) worth a darn. would be better off using a brick than a knife sometimes.

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I remember reading an article years ago that said if you would take a bream and drop it in boiling water for exactly one minute you could rack off the filet with a table knife. I have never tried it but have been storing that in my file of useless information for years.

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Originally Posted by quivira kid

I resemble that remark! Tony's is good on everything...

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I am pretty sure that is a treaty violation, Tony's was not to be exported past the Missouri line.