Caught them, cleaned them but....

[alexthegrrr8]

Hey Gang:

As you guys or at least some of you know I managed to get into some perch yesterday and decided for the first time to bring home a catch of fish. For the record I had second thoughts and nearly drove them back to martindale to release them into the first hole that I found. They were still alive and well at 11 pm. But, they never got released and I attempted my first cleaning of fish.

I ended up going onto Youtube and watched the 10 second video. So I gave it a shot. okay it was more like 10 minutes per fish initially and then I got it down to about 2 or 3 this morning. I'm not too sure if I did it wrong but there seems to be a lot of bones. Have you guys tried that method? Also, do you guys think I could go back and try to go up the rib cage to make fillets? Or is it too late for that?

Thanks,

Alex

[hammercarp]

I thought this was a better one. It does take some patience, practice and time to get used to the feel of the knife. An electric knife is pretty efficient too.

[Smokin Joe]

You can always stop in at Denis's there's usually someone cleaning fish there that can show you as well.

[alexthegrrr8]

You can always stop in at Denis's there's usually someone cleaning fish there that can show you as well.

I'll definitely have to do that. I was going to go down there but he's closed 'til Tuesday I think. He mentioned before that he'd show me. Thanks.

Alex

[Smokin Joe]

Yeah he's closed Sunday and Monday's, sometimes he'll have some in the fridge that need cleaning just ask. He's usually happy to help people out.

Almost forgot to mention he does it the same as the video Hammercarp posted.

[alexthegrrr8]

I thought this was a better one. It does take some patience, practice and time to get used to the feel of the knife. An electric knife is pretty efficient too.

Thanks for the video hammer. Much appreciated.

Alex

[smerchly]

Smerch will show you how to clean perch Alex. A good sharp knife like my 4" Rapala works great for perch & other pannies . I cut the belly first , then cut around the back of the head but not through the back bone . Then , with the fish on its side ,run the blade tight against the backbone from head to tail , lay the fillet flat & remove the skin (if consuming very soon) & then lastly , slide the blade under the rib bones & remove .......ready for the pan . Perch are firm & very easy to fillet . Gills & crappie are a little tougher when you want to get the most meat from them .

[jesse]

I found the 10 second method alot better.You cook the perch with the rib cage intact,then it falls right off after you cook them.practice this method and you will save alot of time and meat!goodluck

[Dan Andrews]

I thought this was a better one. It does take some patience, practice and time to get used to the feel of the knife. An electric knife is pretty efficient too.

I prefer to kill the fish before I clean it myself. I quick snap of the knife through the spine right behind the head will end it quick. I snap all their spines then go back to the first to clean them. I agree less meat is wasted with the ten second method. Make sure that knife is razor sharp after snapping all those spines or use a different knife. Once cooked if you hold the spine the meat should all come off in one piece per side.

Alex if you ever decide to return your fish keep in mind they still count towards your daily limit. You'll get used to it though and become a fish connoisseur.

[alexthegrrr8]

I prefer to kill the fish before I clean it myself. I quick snap of the knife through the spine right behind the head will end it quick. I snap all their spines then go back to the first to clean them. I agree less meat is wasted with the ten second method. Make sure that knife is razor sharp after snapping all those spines or use a different knife. Once cooked if you hold the spine the meat should all come off in one piece per side.

Alex if you ever decide to return your fish keep in mind they still count towards your daily limit. You'll get used to it though and become a fish connoisseur.

Hey Guys:

Okay so here's the skinny.

I decided to sample a couple fillets/steaks from using the 10 second method. As justasnag stated the bones literally fell right out after they were cooked. I decided to use egg, pancake batter, garlic salt, oregano, and parmesan cheese and did them up in the pan with butter. OMG! It was good... I deep fried some potato medallions as well. It was a real treat and the kids and wife liked the perch as well. The Mrs. said that it was just weird that we were eating something that I caught and cleaned. It was a first time for them eating perch. I forgot what they tasted like and the kids thought the perch tasted like chicken.... of course. Smerch... thanks for the explanation on cleaning as well.

Chilli, I'm not too sure if I'll become a fish connoisseur or not. But I think the occasional fish caught and kept may not be a bad thing especially if things get tight. I'll keep in mind the limit rules as well.... but I think that goes without saying. The way that I see it is that I'm still a C&R guy first and foremost. I sorta feel stupid saying this on an open forum but there was one fish in particular that I thought was dead, I cut into it and it was still kicking. I felt awful about it so help me and I started apologizing to the fish... like it understood. Had I been a whiskey guy I would've had to have a shot to settle myself. It messed me up.

Alex

[smerchly]

That's torturing Alex ha ha .....And I know what you mean when a fish kicks when you begin the beheading process . I have a nice bonker I use for fish that appear to have some life left in them . One or two sharp raps on the top of the head fixes that pronto . Some guys like to bleed out the fish while it's alive . They believe the fish tastes better after it bleeds out , and the fish will be quite dead after that . It's amazing how many things taste like chicken !