How to firm up summer crappies?

In the winter, I usually catch only a few crappies thru the ice and they are pretty firm when eating them. Its been a long while since I have tried to eat summer crappies. Last week I caught a few and Saturday thought I would fry some up to eat. I had forgotten how mushy/soft they are. Don't care for mushy/soft fish, I couldn't eat them. So is there anyway to firm up in summertime crappies so their like gills, firm and flaky? I soaked them in salt water for a day or 2 in the fridge, that didn't help.

Salt water & Vinagar will do the trick !! Wil also work on ANY strong tasting fish , Just a 1/2 a cup a so should do it ... doesnt matter what kind, cheaper the better it works lmao

ALSO , In the summer time , its best to have Iced Water and make sure it STAYS ICED water the Whole trip & place the fish in it As soon as you Cath em to make em better, No Live wells tjhis time of year , Ice em down as soon as you catch em !!

Hey Charly:

I don’t soak crappie fillets any time of year and I've never found them to be mushy or have any different texture at different times of year. I fish deep reservoirs where the crappie can seek out cool water in the summer so that may help.

I do keep crappie alive until cleaning time and the fillets go in fresh ice water while I'm filleting to quickly chill them down and rinse off any blood that may get on them. I then put them in a Zip-lock bag in the fridge without any added water if I am going to use them in the next day or two.

If I don't plan to use the fillets in the next day or two I add JUST enough water so I can get all the air out of the bags and then put the bags of fillets in the freezer on an aluminum cookie sheet as soon as I'm done filleting so they will freeze quickly.

To keep the crappie alive until cleaning time I use my insulated livewell. It has a pump that fills from the lake and I refresh the water at more frequent intervals as the number of fish in the "box" increases and as the surface temps warm up.

Once the surface temps reach the mid 70s I put 58-degree well water and a gallon of ice (frozen in a stainless steel mixing bowl) in the livewell before I leave the house each morning and quit using lake water. I'm only out about 5-hours in warm weather and by cleaning time the fish are still alive but good and cold and appear to be in "suspended animation".

As for the occasional “Stiffy” – a gill or gut hooked fish that isn’t staying alive in the livewell - I wrap them up in a Walmart sack and put them on ice until cleaning time.

Hope my ramblings will give you some ideas. Crappie should always be firm and flaky and never mushy IMHO.

Don't have as much trouble with crappie getting "mushy" as I do with bream. Once the weather gets hot and the water temps are above 75-80 I carry a cooler with ice (usually several frozen drink bottles) and put the fish in as soon as I catch them. It helps keep the flesh firm and I seem to be able to fillet them easier.
Happy fishing.

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Originally Posted by Charly

In the winter, I usually catch only a few crappies thru the ice and they are pretty firm when eating them. Its been a long while since I have tried to eat summer crappies. Last week I caught a few and Saturday thought I would fry some up to eat. I had forgotten how mushy/soft they are. Don't care for mushy/soft fish, I couldn't eat them. So is there anyway to firm up in summertime crappies so their like gills, firm and flaky? I soaked them in salt water for a day or 2 in the fridge, that didn't help.

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How cold is your fridge? I put my fish in a bucket and put them in the fridge over night, set at the coldest possible temp, sometimes I even get skim ice on the water. This always firms the fish up for me. I don't use salt, seems like the salt would pull the water and moisture out of the fish, making it even more mushy.

Hey there Charly, I like to buy the mid-sized ice chests at Wal-Mart that have the single handle that swings over the top of the box. I think they are either blue or red. I have seen green ones from time to time also. I like the single handle because I can grab my ice chest with one hand and my electric fillet knife with the other as I go to the cleaning station at the park.

I freeze water in 2 litre coke bottles and put 2 in the bottom of the ice chest each morning before I fish in the summer months. Don't even bother with the livewell in the summer. I just throw them in the ice chest. Also if I want to take a nap or rest I can wait until it cools off in the afternoon before cleaning my fish.:)

Fish fillet alot easier for me and the fillets are nice and firm. I always prefer to eat my crappie freshly caught,but like Jerry said, if you do freeze them only put enough water in the bags to get the air out. Water expands when it freezes and too much will actually crush your fillets and cause them to be soggy when cooked.

Sounds to me like your grease isn't hot enough. I've never had a problem with Mushy Crappie, if you keep your grease at 360 degrees.

The lake I caught them in is shallow at 4-6 foot. I kepted them in ice until they where cleaned. Then put in salt water, then in fridge. The fridge is cold, I can't stand pop or milk if its not ice cold. I would say only used 1-2 tbs. of salt to a butter tub half full of water. Also, I like fish whole w/skin unless the're walleyes. Eyes are the only fish I filet.

The grease in skillet was hot, cooked them the same as I do gills and gills are always ok. Maybe I just don't like crappies, I don't catch many of them. As for the guy who said his gills are always mushy. I myself have never had mushy gills, even from a shallow warm watered lake. Tks all for you info, CYA L8R.....Charlys