How Do You Eat Your Bass?

[Fish Chris]

Pics from last night:

 

Some 12"ish SMB

 

Plus some breader and hot oil

 

Personally, I taste a big difference between store bought fish and fresh fish. Store bought fish tastes considerably stronger and more rubbery to me. There's no going back haha.

 

This ^ looks like something I would have "used to eat" in my old life / messed up body. Now when I look at this, I see a bunch of grease, and processed carbs (bread) and major stomach problems. At least you use "real butter"..... not bad, if you can keep your portion size down to "tiny"

 

I LOVE eating, which is why I love my new way of eating so much > as I can eat so much

Back in the old days, I ate 6000-8000 cals per day, but it was so processed, condensed, and full of lard, that it actually made up less volume, than my 4000 cals per day, do now !

 

I'm not sure where your health situation is at, and you could very well "not be fat"...... The thing is though, their are probably just as many people who are "skinny / fat", as their are people who are just plain obese. In my daily life, I see about 40% of the population which is overweight, or obese, 40% who are skinny / fat, and 20% (or less) who are actually healthy and fit.

 

To be 100% honest though, if I hadn't suffered as bad as I did for 20+ years, from Fibromyalgia and severe IBS, I'd probably be eating all the same garbage I used to + not exercising, and would have probably already had a heart attack or stroke. So maybe all of my pain and suffering was a blessing ?

 

Just some food for thought

Peace,

Fish

[NWBasslover]

How do I eat my bass?

With a fork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, somebody had to say it!

[Fishes in trees]

Back in the day when I was a hippie meat fisherman, I had a couple of different ways to fix bass.  One way was to get a package of Tempura batter at the store, mix it up according to directions, use beer instead of water.  Once the batter hits the hot oil,it puffs up and seals the fish against the oil.  The fish actually cooks by steaming inside the batter.  Toe batter tastes good also, I just never did eat alot of it.

 

My other favorite way to cook bass was "boy scout style."   On a sheet of tin foil grease a rectangular area with butter,  leaving room all around the edges.  Lay down a layer of sliced onions, then a layer of fish, dot with butter & pepper, squeeze a whole lemons worth of juice on top.   Or you can freeze the lemons, thinly slice them and use them as a layer on top of the fish.  If you have enough fish, lay down another layer, you can do up to 3 or 4 layers.

 

With another sheet of tin foil, seal it up tight, put on Weber, indirect medium heat for half an hour or so, so that the whole package steams and is heated through.  If you are cooking on a camp fire, wrap it in several layers of tin foil and put it on the edge of the fire, and put some coals on top.  Again, cook it until it is done and steamed through, half an hour or so.

[Curved]

This ^ looks like something I would have "used to eat" in my old life / messed up body. Now when I look at this, I see a bunch of grease, and processed carbs (bread) and major stomach problems. At least you use "real butter"..... not bad, if you can keep your portion size down to "tiny"

 

I LOVE eating, which is why I love my new way of eating so much > as I can eat so much

Back in the old days, I ate 6000-8000 cals per day, but it was so processed, condensed, and full of lard, that it actually made up less volume, than my 4000 cals per day, do now !

 

I'm not sure where your health situation is at, and you could very well "not be fat"...... The thing is though, their are probably just as many people who are "skinny / fat", as their are people who are just plain obese. In my daily life, I see about 40% of the population which is overweight, or obese, 40% who are skinny / fat, and 20% (or less) who are actually healthy and fit.

 

To be 100% honest though, if I hadn't suffered as bad as I did for 20+ years, from Fibromyalgia and severe IBS, I'd probably be eating all the same garbage I used to + not exercising, and would have probably already had a heart attack or stroke. So maybe all of my pain and suffering was a blessing ?

 

Just some food for thought

Peace,

Fish

 

That meal isn't actually that bad. The main reason is that we use canola oil versus anything else. Peanut and corn oils have a lot more saturated fat (50-100% more)  -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola_oil#Comparison_to_other_vegetable_oils . Unsaturated fat (especially poly unsaturated) and omega fatty acids are important for various biological functions so having them in moderation is healthy. A meal like that is good every couple days. Especially with all the omega 3 in the fish.

 

Personally I'm on the thin side -- BMI 20. I try to eat around 2000-2500 calories per day and that meal probably was around 1000 calories in the portions I had (2 fillets and some cornbread). Some days we don't have any meat for dinner, just vegetables with some beans or lentils for protein. IMO everything god created is good; a lot of it just needs some moderation.

[JigMe]

I think it is OK to keep some smaller bass, but PLEASE let the lunkers go. Personally, I kept one bass and never again. Walleye, crappie, or even sun fish taste much better than bass. If you want it for dinner, then go fish for walleyes because they are good!

[Fish Chris]

That meal isn't actually that bad. The main reason is that we use canola oil versus anything else. Peanut and corn oils have a lot more saturated fat (50-100% more)  -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola_oil#Comparison_to_other_vegetable_oils . Unsaturated fat (especially poly unsaturated) and omega fatty acids are important for various biological functions so having them in moderation is healthy. A meal like that is good every couple days. Especially with all the omega 3 in the fish.

 

Personally I'm on the thin side -- BMI 20. I try to eat around 2000-2500 calories per day and that meal probably was around 1000 calories in the portions I had (2 fillets and some cornbread). Some days we don't have any meat for dinner, just vegetables with some beans or lentils for protein. IMO everything god created is good; a lot of it just needs some moderation.

 

Early on, into my new healthy lifestyle, I learned that the enemy was not "saturated fats". Their are some saturated fats, such as those in your butter, or that in red meat, which "in moderation" are actually quite good for you. It should not be a question of saturated vs. non-saturated, but rather, man made (such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats vs. natural fats, both sat. and non)

This is really long, but lots of good info: http://www.livestrong.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31785 If you scroll way down, their is a bunch of info to compare different fats.

 

Also, bass, tilpia, and most other fresh water fish are very low in fat, and therefor, contain practically ZERO Omega 3's. Look it up.

 

Anyway, with all the canola oil soaked into that breading, I don't doubt it tasted great But IMPO the healthiest thing about that meal, was how small it was. Problem is, I'd starve to death on 2000-2500 a day I'm pretty lean to.... about 10%-11% bf at 210 lbs

 

Oh, one more thing I learned early on > The BMI index is old, and outdated. A guy can be like super low body fat (say, 8%) but if he has some decent muscle mass, (or, as in my case, decent muscle mass + a very deep chest, and wide shoulders) it will say I'm over weight ! Yea 210@10%.... and I'm trying to become even more overweight.... 225@9% LOL Heck, I'd love to be "obese" (by the old BMI index) at like 260@8%  ....but it won't ever happen, as I'm too old, and don't have steller genetics.

 

In any case, you sound to be in not too bad of shape as it is. This info is more for people who are either 1) in lousy shape, and want to change it, or 2) who want to go crazy with it, and maybe start doing some amature BB'ing

 

Oh BTW, what's moderation ???

 

Peace,

Fish

[bigbill]

I read a few years back our government did a survey about what fish we can remove with hurting the population growth. The results were to take the smaller bass to eat and leave the bigger bass to continue spawning.

 

Don't the crappies taste better than bass?

 

When I was younger we ate what we caught. Mainly panfish for breakfast with eggs when we were  little kids. This was growing up in the mid 50's.

 

The fresh caught catfish is the best on a wood fire. When fishing at night.

 

 

With all this eating fish talk we had fish and chips, plus stuffed clams and whole belly clams tonight, yummy. I was a bad boy with my 1300 calorie diet. It's suppose to be 2,000 Calories but I lost 60lbs since January. I have another 100lbs. to lose yet. Tonight I thought of a to me from me present for losing weight and  eating less. I'm thinking a new corvette, na that's not me, a new truck, na that's not me too. I thought of a bass boat tonight. I should be around 225lbs. By spring.

[Sun Fish]

This thread makes me sad   I'll only take a bass to eat if it isn't going to survive when released. 

[Nice_Bass]

This thread makes me sad   I'll only take a bass to eat if it isn't going to survive when released. 

This thread honestly makes me hungry.

Taking a few smaller bass for the table from time to time is good conservation. 

 

Taking big bass home for the table is not good. 

[SmokeRise1]

I think some of you misread the title of this topic. It does not say "Please explain why you don't eat bass" or "What fish do you like better than bass".

[Hi Salenity]

This is a Internet forum, your going to have to get used to things straying some.

[pbrussell]

This is a Internet forum, your going to have to get used to things straying some.

 

Speaking of straying, I really need to try some fresh walleye. Everyone says they're the stuff. 

[Downeaster2010]

These pictures of bass cooked look good to me.  I have eaten bass for 40 years, and never had a bad meal.  The

are other fish I like better, but a lot I like less.  Why people shy away from properly cooked fish is beyond me, as they

are mild and sweet tasting.  It seems that no matter where you are in the country, there is some fish that is preferred

over another.  Me, I like most of them.  I had Walleyes in Canada, and see what some of you say when you say you

like them.  They are great, but there aren't any in Maine.  Most people in Maine grew up eating salt water fish, and

that spoiled a lot of them toward fresh water fish.  My wife made some baked Cod the other night and talk about

delicious, it was great.  But in Maine most people turn their nose up to it, over Haddock.  In fresh water the best

eating fish here is Bass.  Trout and salmon are what I think turns off most young women.  Improperly cooked.  I will

not eat Tallipia.

[Fish Chris]

 

I will not eat Tallipia.

 

 Me either, but Tilapia are screaming good ! So are sunfish, if they are big enough to filet. Crappie can be good if they are really fresh, and cooked so they are not mushy.

 

Fish

 

PS, I meant to say earlier too, I used to be able to eat stuff like bass, catfish, and crappie, and as long as it was dripping in grease, and smothered in tarter sauce, the flavor of the actual fish didn't matter much. Now that I eat much more fish, and surround it with less garbage, the taste of the fish itself matters a lot more.

[xbacksideslider]

I'll eat those that die in the live well and I've noticed that the thin part of a LMB fillet, from near the belly, is the most likely part to taste muddy. Doesn't seem to be so with every fish though. I'm not sure about it, so has anyone else noticed this?

I think it also helps to take care when gutting, make sure that the intestines/organs aren't cut before they are separated from the fish.

[Avalonjohn44]

I am wary of eating fish where I usually fish. People may say the Potomac and the Shenandoah have gotten much cleaner than they used to be... But I saw them at their worst and that kind of sticks with you...

I have caught and cooked bass before, a few different ways and they are not bad. I prefer other fish - trout, salmon etc.

[Catt]

Zatarain’s Seasoned Fish-Fri

[fadetoblack21]

I'm all about the deep frying. I like to cut my fish (bass, crappie, sunfish, cat) into bight sized pieces and smother them in a mix of chili powder, flower, corn meal, and season salt. Dip them in a pan of egg or buttermilk and then another round in the seasoning. Fry until you feel they are finished.

 

Serve with a side of your preferred pasta salad and a cold beverage. . . . life is good. 

[Bluebasser86]

Speaking of straying, I really need to try some fresh walleye. Everyone says they're the stuff. 

I've caught keeper walleye my last 2 trips to Melvern, WAY better eating than bass. I'm not a fish eater but I'll eat walleye if someone else wants to cook them. I wish more of our lakes had 13-18 inch slot limits so people could keep the good eating sized bass but protect the larger fish. The 18" limits just makes it so the only ones people can keep are the ones I want to catch! Plus the lakes seem to get over populated with dinks because of the population densities. 

[prjavelin]

I remember seeing this kind of thread in the past and people would not be happy.

I for one agree with selective harvest. You eat the small fish and in the case of my local lakes thats a 12-14 incher and you leave everything over that in the lake.

 

I do prefer other kinds of fish. I have so much saltwater fish available all around me that eating bass is not on my priority list. I love wrapping the fish in aluminum foil, with peppers, onions, olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt, and a small touch of a local tree. I dont seem to find the name of it. But its a soft kind of tree and it has a minty stick right in its round big leafs.

[Jim H.]

I prefer mine dead... and cooked!  Shushi (sp?) ain't for me plus they are hard to eat still squirming.

[NWBasslover]

I'm all about the deep frying. I like to cut my fish (bass, crappie, sunfish, cat) into bight sized pieces and smother them in a mix of chili powder, flower, corn meal, and season salt. Dip them in a pan of egg or buttermilk and then another round in the seasoning. Fry until you feel they are finished.

Serve with a side of your preferred pasta salad and a cold beverage. . . . life is good.

Totally agree about the deep fryer, but I actually don't do any seasonings or breading. The bass that come out of our river taste phenomenal all by themselves. The cats are even better!

[Fish Chris]

Totally agree about the deep fryer, but I actually don't do any seasonings or breading. The bass that come out of our river taste phenomenal all by themselves. The cats are even better!

 

NWB, that's interesting. Although I often mention that I don't use breading, and I don't "deep fry" anything, I do actually "shallow fry" just about everything, including chicken, pork, and occasionally, red meat. < This is to say, I cook most everything in a non-stick skillet, and go through a TON of olive oil spray

I'm not gullible though, when those spray oils say zero cals... Yea' right ! Then you look at the serving size > 1/3 of 1 second ? WT ??? For me its more like 20 seconds (in multiple sprayings throughout the cooking process) and on the rare occasion that I actually count the cals, I do add in 200-300 cals, for my "zero cal" cooking spray

 

Peace,

Fish

[LApanic]

I understand your thought but it is like speedbead said on another thread selective harvest is the way to go....catch and eat those from 12-18" and put back anything over 18" just like the slots they have for say redfish. If there is no harvest then there will be to many fish in a pond or lake without preditors like musky and pike. You see that a lot in the young ponds around here, they get stocked with minnow, carp, bluegill and bass, and then the bass stay 1-2 pounds for life.

 

 I haven't eaten bass since I was 8 years old, here I fish retention ponds so it aint happening anytime soon. But I typically fry my fillets of grouper, flounder or tilapia in butter  with a cajun rub from the local fish market until they get a nice brown crust. My brother in law wraps his rockfish up in foil with butter or italian dressing and bakes.

Exactly, Im all about C&R and do it 95% of time.  Even if I catch a 10#er one day, I will measure the girth, length and take several photos and get the taxidermist to replicate as best as possible, and let it keep on growing.  BTW...if you do that in Florida there is a cash or some kinda incentive the state gives you in you do the fore mentioned.

 

It's funny that i'm just reading this post, because i'm about to, scale, gut and pan fry 15 or so 1lb bass.  They needed to be harvested out of a friends pond to make the big bass population flourish and not get stunted...that's no fun catch 20 fish, all 1lbers all day.  Anyway any marine biologist of pond/lake management person will tell you the same.

 

But back to how I like to eat my bass, which I enjoy.

 

Filleted, cut into chunks, dredge in a mix of Flour, cormill, old bay and salt and pepper.  Place mixed dry stuff in good Ziplock and toss in half a dozen, give or take and give it a shake.....then straight into 2" of peanut oil in a iron skillet until golden brown.

[Curved]

Early on, into my new healthy lifestyle, I learned that the enemy was not "saturated fats". Their are some saturated fats, such as those in your butter, or that in red meat, which "in moderation" are actually quite good for you. It should not be a question of saturated vs. non-saturated, but rather, man made (such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats vs. natural fats, both sat. and non)

This is really long, but lots of good info: http://www.livestrong.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31785 If you scroll way down, their is a bunch of info to compare different fats.

 

Also, bass, tilpia, and most other fresh water fish are very low in fat, and therefor, contain practically ZERO Omega 3's. Look it up.

 

Anyway, with all the canola oil soaked into that breading, I don't doubt it tasted great But IMPO the healthiest thing about that meal, was how small it was. Problem is, I'd starve to death on 2000-2500 a day I'm pretty lean to.... about 10%-11% bf at 210 lbs

 

Oh, one more thing I learned early on > The BMI index is old, and outdated. A guy can be like super low body fat (say, 8%) but if he has some decent muscle mass, (or, as in my case, decent muscle mass + a very deep chest, and wide shoulders) it will say I'm over weight ! Yea 210@10%.... and I'm trying to become even more overweight.... 225@9% LOL Heck, I'd love to be "obese" (by the old BMI index) at like 260@8%  ....but it won't ever happen, as I'm too old, and don't have steller genetics.

 

In any case, you sound to be in not too bad of shape as it is. This info is more for people who are either 1) in lousy shape, and want to change it, or 2) who want to go crazy with it, and maybe start doing some amature BB'ing

 

Oh BTW, what's moderation ???

 

Peace,

Fish

 

Ha, sounds like you have a lot of story to tell about nutrition.

 

I am wary of eating fish where I usually fish. People may say the Potomac and the Shenandoah have gotten much cleaner than they used to be... But I saw them at their worst and that kind of sticks with you...

I have caught and cooked bass before, a few different ways and they are not bad. I prefer other fish - trout, salmon etc.

 

It depends on what part of them you're fishing. They still recommend only 1 fish a month from the main stem and south fork of the Shenandoah. No advisories on the north fork though. I follow whatever they say to the letter because I also think its just not worth the risk.