need info on boiling crappie

[wrs75]

i had a guy tell me that when he cuaght alot of small fish he would boil the fillets in shrimp boil seasoning. my wife tried it and the fillets crumbled into very small pieces as soon as they hit the water, does anyone else cook this way or know why the fillets would fall apart

[john h]

no clue but main reason i dont keep small fish

[cook]

boiling at too high a temp....try poaching them at around 170 or just till small bubbles form around the edge,handle them gently.

[Tunica]

Here's what I do and I dont have a problem. I dont add the filets to the mix until the end. What I do is add all the seasoning, then the potato's corn etc leaving out the fish. Once I get the taters soft I'll reduce the heat to simmer and once the boil stops I ad the fish. Fish does not have to stay very long in boiling temp water to cook. I leave the simmer on for about one to two minutes or until I finish dropping in the fish then Just turn off cover the pot and let sit for about 10 minutes.

THEN EAT till ya pop


we call it poor Mans Shirmp

[paulmh66]

I have had real good luck doing this with bluegill or perch. Drop in shrimp boil just long enough to turn white. Then have a bowl of icewater ready to dip them in as soon as they are done, this stops them from over cooking. Serve with cocktail sauce. I have found that crappie are too delicate and just do not hold up to boiling.

[WhitePerchJerker]

Don't over cook as paulmh66 said. After I poach them I make a shrimp salad with the fish meat, no shrimp, real good. Go heavy with the shrimp boil seasoning.

[sac-a-lait]

look up the crappie cakes post...Like crab cakes but made with boiled crappie.