Now that we caught some crappie how do you cook them?

Alright Mike. Thanks for those tips.

Hey this thread needs to go into the Archives Guys. Don't you all agree.

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Originally Posted by Mike Simpson

Here's how I do it, this should be enough batter for a couple pounds of fillets, you can also use it to make onion rings and fried mushrooms too!

For fish, this is very important.... Cut into "bite sized" pieces. (About 1" X 2" or so) Anything bigger or thicker won't cook all the way through.

1 Cup of Bisquick
3 eggs
1/2 cup of beer or 7up
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne red pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Thyme (this spice removes or reduces the fishy taste)
1/2 tsp cooking oil

Mixes up like pancake batter. Thin with beer or 7up if needed, thicken with more Bisquick if needed. (This is to your own preference)

Drop your bites into the batter and stir to coat them (or onion rings or mushrooms) then use a fork to lift them out of the batter and GENTLY into the hot grease. After you get 6 or 8 pieces in the grease, tap them on the edges one at a time with your fork to make them turn over and the golden brown side will now be on top. (They are floating on top when you tap them) Then "rescue" them one or two at a time as they are golden brown on both sides, drain on paper towels. It doesn't take long!

Uh oh! I have to go! I'll be in the kitchen for a while if anybody needs me!

Here's what it looks like.

http://crappiemagic.com/batterup.jpg

I'll see you at the lake!

Mike

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Those don't look like cheeseburgers and fries Mike! :p I do mine in chunks like that too. Man my stomach is growling now! That is the same kind of burner I've got too. I like using the deeper, turkey pot without a basket though. I just use tongs to get the fixins out. I copied your recipe Mike. It sounds tastey!

Just so everyone knows acceptable usage guide lines for their frying oils. At Red Lobster, we only changed the grease about every 10 days. As we fryed day and night, we would use what was the equivilent of a stainless steel sand shovel to remove the sludge from the fryer bottoms as often as possible. Each fryer would produce at least a full sized coffee can of sludge(about 7 or 8lbs worth) EVERY DAY! We added grease to the depleting fryers all of the time to keep their proper levels. At the end of every night, we filtered all 6 double sided fryers.

If you discard your oil after every couple of fish frys, you are throwing away good oil. Even if you are cooking for 100 people. Hope this eases some minds, and saves you a few bucks to spend on these awesome jigs:Crappie Magic!

Full fishing and fryer baskets to all!

<,"}/>{ Rippa

Thanks for the tips, Rippa..... ;)
I'll have to try the deeper pot, I have noticed whenever I cook a lot of fish I have to stop every once in a while to sweep the crumbs and stuff that settle to the bottom of the pan. Then I have to add more fresh oil and take a short break until it reaches cooking temps again.

Here are some thoughts I have posted on my web page on how I prepare and take care of my fish before cooking. I am interested to see if anybody does the same, but also I would like to hear what people think after they try it "my way." :)


When ever I bring fish home to eat, I ice them down in a cooler until I am ready to clean them, which is usually not until the next day. I do it that way for two reasons. They stay fresh, and they aren't as messy when you clean them. Here is how I do it, give it a try sometime and you'll see what I mean! The trick is to put plenty of ice on your fish to start with, to keep them good and cool. If you have a lot you should alternate layers, a layer of ice then a layer of fish, etc. I only use a cooler with a drain plug, I pull the plug and set the cooler on a brick so it sits at an angle. When the ice melts it runs out the drain and the fish don't sit in water. You might have to shake the cooler a time or two during the day to make sure that the ice doesn't bridge across when it melts and leaves a gap between the fish and ice. If this happens your fish won't be close enough to the ice to stay cold and could spoil. Just make sure and check it a few times during the day and make sure the ice doesn't melt into one big clump, keep it broken up and you'll be fine. I always check the gills before I clean the fish the next day to make sure they are still fresh, you know you are doing it right when their gills are bright red in color, just like when you pulled them out of the water!
One last tip, and this is a good one! I don't soak my fish in water any more! After I fillet and rinse them I lay them out on newspapers and pat them dry, then I put the fillets in freezer bags, usually I put them in the refrigerator and eat them "fresh" within a few days. If not I will put them up in the freezer and just freeze them "dry". To remove the air I "float" the bag in a bowl or sink full of water, carefully pushing the bag down to squeeze out the air but not get any water into the bag then I zip it shut just barely ABOVE water level. Sometimes it takes a few tries before a person gets the hang of it, since I don't seem to be able to keep fish around for very long it works well for me! I know folks that freeze their fish in water and I think it probably keeps better that way. If I did I would only use enough water to cover the fillets and the package would be more fish than water so it would freeze fairly fast. I do believe that fish tastes much better if it's not soaked in water. (or salt water for that matter) Try keeping a few pieces out of the water next time and see the difference for yourself, drop me an email and let me know what you think!

Mike Simpson

[email protected]

Get married and let the lady do the cooking. You just go and catch the fish. Sure would simplify things for you. It works for me. lol

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Get married and let the lady do the cooking. You just go and catch the fish. Sure would simplify things for you. It works for me. lol

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You lucked out Canepole. My wife won't get in my boat, won't clean the fish, and don't know how to cook them. But she can sure eat them. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep on catching them for her and keep her happy.