Eating Freshwater Drum

[BammerBass]

Hmm guess based on a lot of the responses, it is not a good idea overall. Given whst they eat, that makes me wary. They like mollusks and things like that a lot, and those srr notorious for being major anaphylactic reaction induces, and given what I went through this past summer with allergic reactions, id be afraid to try it. If the fish has eaten mollusks, then there is a chance of having a reaction to eating the fish that ate it, so I guess nay on drum.

[scaleface]

I have eaten freshwater drum a few times with mixed results. The smaller the better. Sometimes they were quite good sometimes they were quite bad. I ate a little one freshly caught over a camp fire , impaled on a stick. It was surprisingly tasty .

[toufiq]

I caught 5 freshwater drums 2 weeks ago and brought home one 10 lb to taste for the first time. I fried, baked and made curry out of the meat. The meat was hard when I cut them and became harder after cooking. I did not like any of the three recipe I made out of it. The worst fish I ate was that one. I will never try again any kind of drum not only fresh water drum.

[ksbowhunter]

I've done a fish fry on two different years where I always fry multiple species with the same breading and seasoning using trout, channel cat, crappie walleye, and on these two years I threw in some drum filets from probably 2 lbs fish (with all red meat cut off) What I have found is people that aren't big fish eaters say the fish they liked the most was the drum. I'm guessing because they don't have a lot of flavor and taste like what you season them, with also they are a more firm filet. But people like me that prefer crappie and walleye they aren't a fish of preference. They do grill well because the filets are more firm but just aren't a flavorful fish.  

[Fallser]

When I was in school in Tennessee we would occasionally eat drum.  We usually made a fish chowder with them.   Carp, my grandmother would sometime ask me to bring one or two home.  She used them to make gefilte fish.  Bluefish I actually like, well anything under 20 inches, usually broiled them.  The snapper blues fried up pretty well.  The one in the 4 or 5 pound range ended up in the smoker.  They were very tasty.

[TnRiver46]

I think I’ve eaten 4 drum, not good but not awful. I’d have to be broke down and busted to do it regularly but I’d take drum over carp, buffalo, etc

 

i haven’t grilled one skin side down yet, I’ve heard that’s the way to go .

 

then again I’ve had people tell me hundreds of times to cut the two rocks out of a drum’s head but I’ve never found them. Seemed like an old fashioned snipe hunt but somebody showed me jewelry they made out of them! Haha

 

saltwater red drum?? Delicious 

[scaleface]

14 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I think I’ve eaten 4 drum, not good but not awful. I’d have to be broke down and busted to do it regularly but I’d take drum over carp, buffalo, etc

 

i haven’t grilled one skin side down yet, I’ve heard that’s the way to go .

 

then again I’ve had people tell me hundreds of times to cut the two rocks out of a drum’s head but I’ve never found them. Seemed like an old fashioned snipe hunt but somebody showed me jewelry they made out of them! Haha

 

saltwater red drum?? Delicious 

I grew up going to fish fries featuring carp or buffalo. Living in a river town with a fish market , they were   popular . A few years ago I was going through Grafton Illinois . There was a fish market and they were selling carp and buffalo sandwiches. I had to stop and get one . It was good. 

 

I use to save the stones from drum heads. I think I still have a few.

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, scaleface said:

I grew up going to fish fries featuring carp or buffalo. Living in a river town with a fish market , they were   popular . A few years ago I was going through Grafton Illinois . There was a fish market and they were selling carp and buffalo sandwiches. I had to stop and get one . It was good. 

 

I use to save the stones from drum heads. I think I still have a few.

Are you my uncle? 😂 

[gim]

10 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

saltwater red drum?? Delicious 

 

I've had that.  The resort we stayed at blackened it cajun style for us after a guided fishing trip in Tampa.  It was fantastic.  Just by sheer luck we happened to catch one in the "keeper" slot.  Caught some snook too.

 

Saltwater fish is so much tastier.  But maybe its because I rarely get the opportunity to eat it.