etothepii

I read one in F&S where you leave on the tail. I've eaten smelt like this, but never panfish. Anyone had it that way?

What is your favorite way to cook them? I've really only had them dipped in flour and fried in oil.

Rebel Hog

Eto, we scale, gut, cut the head ,dip in Drake flour and fry whole with tail.
Forgot to mention, after you scale and before you cut head or gut, clean good
with fresh water. We fry in strained bacon grease.Every time my wife fries bacon
she strains the grease in a special crock for frying fish or frying eggs. Man, nothing better!

Tree climber

if you brush or scrap the tail to get the mud off. fry golden brown in hog lard,the tail is the best part of the fish.

etothepii

Is that corn flour?

Rebel Hog

Eto, yes it is, but is light yellow in color and has some seasoning in it.
My wife buys it at Publix or Winn-Dixie. Drake Brand.

North Texan

I filet them, dip them in milk, then in cornmeal or corn kits. Then season a little and fry until golden brown.

Rebel Hog

Tex, the only fish I filet is grouper!
Hog and Red snapper we do in the oven.
King mackrel we cut straight down like salmon steaks.
Every other fish is fried whole.

etothepii

Well, when you filet panfish (my grandpa used to) the time you spend fileting means quick and easy frying, and easy eating -- you can really gobble them up. And grandpa was pretty good too. you might get one bone out of 10 filets.

Funny thing about grandpa -- we'd spend hours on the lake each weekend fishing for blue gills -- he'd even go alone too. Tone of fish brought in all summer long. Grandma would scale them, grandpa would filet them. They'd be fried up for a huge feast... but grandpa wouldn't eat them. He hated fish!!!

James B

I like to fellet them and just lay them on a cookie pan or pizza pan. I sprinkle them with lemon pepper and stick it in the oven. Works very well with all fish. You can use any seasoning but we like lemmon pepper and sometimes Blackening seasoning.

Chuck7

Growing up with kids I filleted everything . I lightly flour, dip in a beatin egg and milk mixture . Then I cover the fish with a mixture of flour,corn meal ,paparika, lots of pepper, and salt, Put about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a big black cast iron. When it's med. hot drop fillets in and cook to golden brown.

@@@@@If cooking Crappie or Specks for Floridians soak fillets in buttermilk for 2 hours. They will come out firm instead of mushy. Learned that trick from New York. Taste Awesome.
PS Now that the kids are grown it's back to eatting the bluegills and red ears whole.Yes , the crunchy tails are great. Cook the fish the same way. Always be careful with the heat. Too much and you scorch them ,not enough heat and their a grease ball. Medium high.
Chuck