cooking them can be as simple or complex as you wanna make it
What I'd do, is wash them off real good .. cleaning out the belly cavity of any leftover "parts", and try and get as much "slime" off them as possible. Roll them/shake them in a container of plain yellow corn meal. Place them in a iron skillet with about 1/2" of peanut oil, and cook for several minutes per side. You want the sides to be brown to golden brown, but not burnt. Lift to check about once per minute.
Remove and lay them on a paper towel, while you're filling your plate with side dishes.
I'll assume that the fins, and tail are still intact ... so here's how I go about it :
Pull the top fin out, slowly, using fork to detach any skin that wants to stay attached to fin. Once top fin is out, use fork to cut the skin open along the top of the fish ... from the hole that the top fin left, to the tail and head end of the fish. Use fork to lay over the meat portion of the fish ... from the top (back) of the fish, down to the backbone/rib bones. You can remove all the meat, top and bottom portions, of the tail section of the fish ... just use the belly cavity and rib bones as a guide as to where the "tail section" starts. Personally, I don't even bother trying to get the little scraps of meat from the rib/belly area. And keep your eyes peeled for stray bones that may come away with the back/tail meat ... you can usually see them, but you can always probe the meat chunks with your fork, to feel for the bones.
Some people eat the actual "tail fin", once fried ... I've done it, but never really developed a taste for them.
It's always a good idea to have a "bone bowl" or paper towel nearby ... to put the fins, bones, carcass section. This keeps your plate free of any stray bones, that might get picked up with your edible meat or sides.
If the "cleaned" fish are 6-7" long .... you shouldn't have much trouble with tiny bones, unless you try and get the belly/rib meat. If the fish were 6-7 inches long, BEFORE the head was removed ... you need to be a bit more careful.
....................................
Now, you COULD filet these fish ... even after they've had the head/entrails removed and scales scraped off. You would just have to make the initial cut from the tail end of the fish, rather than the head end. Depending on whether you use a filet knife or elec knife, you can cut thru or around the ribs. If you cut thru the ribs, you can cut them away, afterwards, in order to get a boneless fillet. You also use the top fin as a guide, cutting on either side of it, as you cut down along the backbone. In either case, leave the skin attached. It does add a bit of a nutty flavor to the fish. (same for Crappie, too)
I don't spice my fish up, even with salt/pepper, until I have them on my plate. I like the taste of the fish, and don't want other flavors to overwhelm or take that taste away. There are lots of suggested recipes in the other posts, for coatings/toppings/breadings/etc ... if you're into that.
Any more questions, or more detailed info .... just ask
... cp
Help with Cooking & Eating
First of all ....
OK, now we're gettin somewhere
Glad to be of help ....
Linear Mode
