It is not cartillage in the meat that is the problem. Gar have some pretty tough connective tissue that gets even tougher when exposed to excessive heat. In other words, gar meat gets tough and chewy when over-cooked. Your meat was most likely over-cooked.

Next time, cook it until it just starts to flake, and it will be perfect, with the aproximate texture of fried chicken.

I forgot to mention that. Sorry. All fish (and frog legs) will get tough and rubbery when over-cooked (gar is just a little moreso), and it has been my experience that most fish, especially in restaurants, is over-cooked most of the time. Fish is best when cooked just slightly beyond the sushi-stage, where the meat barely flakes (it will continue to cook for a few minutes after being removed from the heat source). If I have to go one way or the other, I prefer my fish (and steaks) under-cooked, rather than over. You can always throw it back on the grill for a few seconds, but once it is over-cooked, it is dead, with no hope of resurrection.

Bon apetit.

Quote Originally Posted by Clay View Post
I have no problem cleaning he fish, I have an issue with the meat itself. Between each flake of meat there is a cartilage in gar meat. It's been years since I tried to eat the stuff but it was like crewing a rubber ball. While there armour plating does take some special technique to clean, the butchering isn't the problem.

Maybe I'm not describing it very well. But go out to your next Friday night fish fry and order baked cod. Now we are looking at a single piece of fish on your plate. Pick it up and break it in half. Where it breaks in half on gar flesh is where the cartilage is and inbetween each and every spot where it would break in half. I'm referring to these as flakes of flesh. Where the meat is segmented when cooked.

Now carp I have eaten and it isn't bad. I think that it is more between our ears than the taste on our tongue when eating it. I personally don't care for salmon, but that is another story.

Brook trout, bluegills and walleyes = something wonderful to eat in moderation.

Rick