Cooking Bluegill

[zander]

Growing up in Kimberling City, I remember eating a lot of bluegill. My dad would just fillet the big ones. I didn't know there were other ways to eat them. Then, part way through my childhood, we moved down to central Louisiana. After fishing with my friends down there, they made fun of me for wanting to filet a bluegill, although amazed I could do it. Down there fish that size only had one way to be cooked and cleaned. Spooning. We would take a regular spoon and rub all of the scales off, cut the heads off and rip the guts out. Roll in fish fry mix and fry away. The fins were left on and were a delicacy. They tasted like potato chips. Anybody up here ever clean fish in this way? In the Wal-Mart's down there they sell "scaling spoons" but I haven't seen them up here.

[duckydoty]

Growing up in Kimberling City, I remember eating a lot of bluegill. My dad would just fillet the big ones. I didn't know there were other ways to eat them. Then, part way through my childhood, we moved down to central Louisiana. After fishing with my friends down there, they made fun of me for wanting to filet a bluegill, although amazed I could do it. Down there fish that size only had one way to be cooked and cleaned. Spooning. We would take a regular spoon and rub all of the scales off, cut the heads off and rip the guts out. Roll in fish fry mix and fry away. The fins were left on and were a delicacy. They tasted like potato chips. Anybody up here ever clean fish in this way? In the Wal-Mart's down there they sell "scaling spoons" but I haven't seen them up here.

I do like gills and crappie cooked this way. Love them fins!

[trout fanatic]

Growing up in ohio that is how we scaled yellow perch (mouth waters). Filleted them though. Bluegills were left whole if smallish, and filleted if big enough. The first time I was ever introduced to eating the tails was when I was stationed in Kansas-they were pretty good as I recall (haven't eaten them since though).

[KCRIVERRAT]

I used to eat the fins too and they ARE just like potato chips. Tasty... don't know why I haven't done it for a while.

[Terry Beeson]

They say my great-grandmother would throw big ones back and keep the little ones to fry and eat whole. I grew up spoon-cleaning bluegill and crappie and bass. Pan fried after rolling in cornmeal. I began filleting the bigger ones after I grew up and a fishing buddy of mine got me started filleting smaller ones. As long as we got a piece of flesh about the size of your finger, we were good. Those were what we sampled during a fish fry... Then everyone wondered why we were not hungry when it came time to eat...

The tails are great. I also ate catfish tails too...

I'm still going to get some fillets and boil them in shrimp boil.

[Kayser]

That's the only way to eat a goggle-eye in my mind- heavy cornmeal breading and pan-fried whole in bacon grease. The tails are by far the best part of any fish fried whole. Just seems to take to long to clean fish whole anymore.

Rob

[rainbow]

When I was a kid scaling and gutting was the only way we knew how to clean them. we popped the eyes out and fried them with the heads on. Trout too. Ate the skin, fins and the meat. Bluegill are also great on the weber over hickory when left whole. Now I fillet everything except trout for the smoker that we make the smoked trout spread with.

[Indiana Trout]

Yup...spooned them for years. I've still got an old one in the bottom of grandpa's tackle box. Then he discovered the wonders of filleting, and that was that!

[zander]

I'm not sure he would appreciate you leaving an old one in the bottom of his tacklebox. They get pretty ripe in short enough order I knew what you meant.

[shadman]

When I was a kid scaling and gutting was the only way we knew how to clean them. we popped the eyes out and fried them with the heads on. Trout too. Ate the skin, fins and the meat. Bluegill are also great on the weber over hickory when left whole. Now I fillet everything except trout for the smoker that we make the smoked trout spread with.

ok ok ok ,,, im gonna be the wierdo here and say that sounds pretty nasty... HA ha

why wouldnt u wanna fillet the bones out? they hurt and poke ya if ya eat em. and if ur just eating around the bones, then thats a pain to pick around for a little tiny nibble then pry around and find another tiny nibble, i know that fileting fish is work and i hate it by about the 3rd fish, i run limblines alot and have cleaned a WHOLE lot o fish this year alone,, i been releasing alot o fish lately,, thats my time saving method. I also filet my filets so they are completely boneless so i dont have to worry bout the kids or pokin my self. Am i the only one who does this? lol

I will say though i will try the fins next time, never done that before... hmmmmm