Eating Mountain Whitefish

[slough foot]

Anyone ever eaten mountain whitefish? what's the best way to clean and eat it?

[okflyfisher]

I have filleted and pan fried them. They taste good, thow not quite up to bluegill standards . I really can't tell the diference in taste between mountain white fish and Great Lake's white fish or Great Lake's cisco.

Mountain whitefish also taste good in a light batter with tarter sauce in a hot dog bun for a fish sandwich

[Longs for Cutts]

The classic method is to smoke them. There are still places that sell smoked whities out here. They're better in winter and spring than summer (mushy, oily) and fall (spawning).

[Panman]

Slough Foot: I eat a lot of them. In fact I make a special trip to catch all I can and stock my freezer. The first thing to remember about the whitefish is that is a relative of the trout and has the same bone structure. The whitefish has a whitish flesh which is a bit oilIer than the trout and they also have large scales which cause some to thing they are a trash fish.

When I catch the whitefish I try to scale the fish as soon as possible. Then I clean (dress) it as you would a trout. Then when I get it home either fry the fish or can them.

To fry them I flour them & then fry as you would a trout. I usually don't eat the skin. To can them I skin them, romove head, tail and the fins and then cut them into chucks and follow one of the many recipes you can find for fish. If you can them you can leave the bones in the meat as they become soft in the canning process. Canned whitefish can be used just like canned tuna fish. One of my favorites it whitefish salad. Just use the canned whitefish in lieu of the canned tuna.

Hope this helps

Tim

[DUB]

Must be an aquired taste. I put some in my smoker, and ended up throwing the smoker away. For me, they are nothing like trout. Very strong fish flavor, and a terrible fish smell. They were caught in December near Basalt Colorado, so I doubt any water is going to get too much colder than that unless it's solid ice.
It's just my opinion, but I would cook them on a cedar plank. When it's done throw the fish away and eat the plank.

[kglissmeyer]

I tried to smoke 'em once, couldn't get the darn things to light up...

Kelly.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Gentlemen,

Let's leave the culinary tastes as a personal preference and not as a chance to argue a point.

REE