Discover Crappie Jerky

[Nightprowler]

If you'd like to empty an overflowing fish box without filling your freezer in the process, try this tasty recipe, including how to dehydrate and preparation tips.
SEE PICTURE BELOW
TOP, LEFT: Flavorful fish jerky starts with lean-fleshed swimmers such as crappie, bass, or pike. Fillet your catch... carefully cutting the meat from the bones. TOP, RIGHT: Next, scrape the meat away from the skin... using a simple back and forth movement. ABOVE, LEFT: slice the fillets thin and soak the pieces briefly in a marinade of water, seasonings and soy sauce. ABOVE, RIGHT: Dry the delectable delicacies on racks in an oven or dehydrator, or under the summer sun. A covering of cheesecloth or a similar material will help keep outdoor insects away.

The next time you find yourself with a kingsized mess of fish, why not dry up a batch of crappie jerky? This old-time edible makes an inexpensive, nutritious snack all by itself . . . and can serve as an important ingredient in your homemade soups and chowders, too.

Like other dried foods, the tough and tasty strips are lightweight, compact, and easy to keep. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you'll find that fish jerky is an ideal trail snack. Also—when properly processed and stored—the chewy morsels are a valuable survival food.

Best of all, you can easily produce the victuals right at home . . . in a dehydrator, kitchen oven, or smokehouse, or with the help of a hot summer sun.

EASY DOES IT!

Fish with a low fat content (bass, pike, and crappie, for example) are the best candidates for jerky. Oily species such as catfish should be avoided for this use . . . since they're more likely to become rancid.

Once your catch is in hand, the first step is to fillet and skin the finny critters. When that's accomplished, cut the meat into convenient 1 " X 6" X as-thin-as-possible strips. Then move on to the next step: seasoning your snacks. A little added flavor before drying will make the jerky even more toothsome and can also aid in its preservation. Just soak the strips for a few minutes in soy sauce and drain or blot off the excess moisture.

DRY 'EM OUT!

As I noted above, fish can be dried in a number of ways. Smokehouses and cabinet dehydrators will, of course, do a fine job . . . but lacking those contrivances, you'll probably find the oven most convenient. Simply place the fish (close together, but not touching) directly on the oven rack, or—if that grate's spaces are too wide—cover the rack with a nongalvanized mesh or screen (galvanized metal may give off toxic fumes). Wipe the metal surfaces with a thin coat of cooking oil to keep your fish from sticking, and put aluminum foil or cookie sheets down below to catch any drippings.

Since jerky dried with low heat will be tastier and contain more nutrients, keep your oven somewhere around 110° and never over 150°F. Be sure to leave the oven door open a crack so moisture can escape.

The time it takes your fish to dry will depend upon the temperature used, the thickness of the strips, and the amount of moisture in the slices. After about an hour—when the mini-fillets start to harden—turn them over and let them cook for another hour or so to assure thorough drying. If you want to try some right away, take the jerky from the oven while it's still bendable. The strips must be quite brittle, however, if you want to store them for longer periods.

In order to save energy, you can let the hot sun do your drying. Flies and other insects can be a problem with this method . . . so be sure to cover your fish with cheesecloth, screen mesh, or similar material. Or, you could start a small fire underneath your racks and let the smoke repel the bugs.

FOOD FOR THE FUTURE

Fish jerky is usually chewed in its raw form, but it can also be cooked and used in a variety of soups and chowders. For these dishes, the finger food should be soaked in water first, until it's fairly soft. (Cooking is recommended, since it's sure to destroy any harmful microorganisms that might be present . . . and drying only stops bacterial growth. An alternative might be to cook the fish before you dry it.)

Like other types of jerky, dried fish keeps best in tightly closed jars stored in a cool, dry location. If all moisture and mischievous bugs are banished, it will stay "fresh" for long periods . . . even years! And—in these days of possible power outages, canning supply shortages, and spiraling supermarket prices—it's nice to know that fish jerky and other dehydrated edibles are delicious foods you can depend on!

Discover Fish Jerky

[Crappie Commando]

There was a recipe in Field & Stream earlier this year for fish jerky as well. I tried it on both crappie and perch. They both tasted excellent. The perch worked great because of the small size. The crappie probably would have worked better I i had cut it into smaller pieces as suggested.

[CrappieHound]

Prowler...very interesting post. This is something I may look into "if" I can catch some fish. LOL!

The Hound

[Cane Pole]

Prowler...very interesting post. This is something I may look into "if" I can catch some fish. LOL!

The Hound

Need to get with Pete. He knows how to catch little fishes.

Seriously, The Lexington watershed lakes are full of small crappies and are ideal for this. Redbud is full of small crappies. Might want to give it a try.

[Fatman]

Well I've done just about everything else making jerky might have to try this one.

Fatman

[IceWarriorGill]

Nice tips!!! Thanks for the info!!!

[CrappieHound]

If I want to catch fish I go to the river...just not "your" part of the river. LOL!

I would think the smaller crappie would be more difficult to prepare? Are saying because they are smaller they would dry out faster? Hmmm.

The Hound

[Cane Pole]

If I want to catch fish I go to the river...just not "your" part of the river. LOL!

I would think the smaller crappie would be more difficult to prepare? Are saying because they are smaller they would dry out faster? Hmmm.

The Hound

I can fillet a minner.

I was hinting at going and trying out Bud lake....

[centerdriver]

Going to give this a try. Sounds real good. Up in Alaska, we did what they call Squaw Candy. It was a jerky like your talking about, real slow smoked (2-3 days) and normally done with king salmon, but silver salmon works good too. Real tasty.
Dusty

[slimeyslab]

We should call the perch jerky "Slim Brim".. Sounds intresting, I will give it a try.