Do you de-scale crappie

[bdorman]

I've been filleting my catch and removing the skin. Yesterday I tried de-scaling a crappie. It didn't look very appetizing (very green with pronounced texture) so I removed the skin.

Do you ever cook crappie with the skin on?

[slabslinger]

If you got a smaller fish and cannot get a sizeable fillet we always scale em. if it is a larger fish hes filleted when we scale em u just cut the head off pop the guts out and take ur knife and go backwards (tail to head) and scale em. Leave the skin on em trust me it gives it a much better taste in my opinion. The scaled crappie may be a little harder to eat around the bones and all but like anything you get good at it over time. And its something about skin on em when you fry em you really got some good eatin

[Locator79]

Fillet everything. If its too small to fillet, I'll toss em back. I don't like to eat bone in fish, many people love them that way though. Just depends on how you like to eat them.

[wvsportsman]

Fillet everything. If its too small to fillet, I'll toss em back. I don't like to eat bone in fish, many people love them that way though. Just depends on how you like to eat them.

^ This!

["G"]

I fillet all my crappie

[Blackhawk19]

I filet and skin all I eat, when my buddy comes from MS to fish with me he scales them, cut off heads and guts them. He likes them better that way, it really just comes down to personnel taste.

[feelay]

I prefer the taste of whole, bone in, skin on fish, but I generally fillet all mine. It's just easier, faster, and less of a mess.

[bdorman]

Sorry if I used the wrong terminology in my original post...I cleaned the crappie just like normal (cut along the backbone, remove the rib cage, etc); it's just that I scaled it first and left the skin on. I don't want to eat around the bones; I'm usually much too hungry for that!

Yes, scaling does create quite a mess.

[feelay]

I have done that before. The skin gives the fillet a subtle nutty flavor that I have always liked. It is just so messy scaling them that I don't do it very often.

[NeonMoon]

Fillet everything. If its too small to fillet, I'll toss em back. I don't like to eat bone in fish, many people love them that way though. Just depends on how you like to eat them.

Ditto, though once in a while if the bite is slow, I'll keep a few smaller ones (generally 'gill) for a single meal. I skin as well, though won't argue skin and bone add a bit of flavor. I just prefer picking-up a fillet and biting into it.