Summer Fish Fry

[Mobasser]

This coming weekend, my family will celebrate two birthdays( son in law, and grandson) with a big fish fry.        It's also the anniversary of my wife's transplant she had 13 years ago. She's still doing well. I've got several bags of crappie fillets, some bluegill fillets, and I'm sure someone will bring some catfish and some walleye fillets also. Side dishes are usually potato salad, baked beans, sliced tomatoes, and salad.                                              I usually separate the cooked fillets on a big platter. The bluegill fillets are usually the first to get eaten. They're delicious! I always look forward to this. I'll plan to pick up a bottle of Zatarains Louisiana hot sauce. A couple of shots on the fish fillets is really good.         We have the same discussion every year. Which fillets are the best? I like them all.                                           If your given a choice between crappie, walleye, catfish, or bluegill, which do you like the best?

[gim]

Big extended family meals are a good time, regardless of what is served.  That's why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Family, food, and football.

 

Given a choice of the ones you mentioned, all of them are decent.  I don't eat catfish much but the few times I've had it, it was fine.  I personally think most freshwater fish outside of salmon just doesn't have a lot of taste.  I think saltwater fish has a lot more taste.

 

@TnRiver46 could probably tell us which one is the best out of crappie, walleye, catfish, or bluegill.  He eats a lot of fish.

[TnRiver46]

I’d probably pick walleye but I only catch like 6-8 of them per year. Bluegill is tasty but you’ve got to fillet a thousand of them to fill your belly. Catfish and crappie are always solid. My wife doesn’t like crappie due to the texture, more for me! Catfish in little chunks/nuggets is awesome 

 

id rather have a big black bass than any of them, oh the horror!!!!

[gim]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Bluegill is tasty but you’ve got to fillet a thousand of them to fill your belly.

 

And given that this is a big family gathering, he probably has to filet a million of them.  Whole lotta work for only a 2-bite filet. 

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

 

And given that this is a big family gathering, he probably has to filet a million of them.  Whole lotta work for only a 2-bite filet. 

True. I keep the biggest bluegills for fillets. There's never enough of them.

[A-Jay]

Bluegill by a Longshot for me.

Keeper Walleye come in second and I stop there. I use a lightly seasoned breading on both and never any hot sauce of any kind

I want to taste the fish.  It's  THE ONLY fried food I eat, but it's just so good.

For a different deal, I will sometimes use a tempora type batter.

 

 Hope you have awesome weather

and a great time

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

[Mobasser]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’d probably pick walleye but I only catch like 6-8 of them per year. Bluegill is tasty but you’ve got to fillet a thousand of them to fill your belly. Catfish and crappie are always solid. My wife doesn’t like crappie due to the texture, more for me! Catfish in little chunks/nuggets is awesome 

 

id rather have a big black bass than any of them, oh the horror!!!!

When I visited my wife's relatives in Wisconsin, I told them I ate an occasional black bass. They looked at me like I was crazy! They eat sleep, and breathe walleyes up there.

[gim]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

They looked at me like I was crazy! They eat sleep, and breathe walleyes up there.

 

Its the same here in MN.  Walleyes are on a pedestal and everything else is inferior.

[12poundbass]

Walleye hands down!

[gim]

Yellow perch is better than all of them.  A limit of jumbos is like trying to strike gold nowadays though.

[A-Jay]

4 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

When I visited my wife's relatives in Wisconsin, I told them I ate an occasional black bass. They looked at me like I was crazy! They eat sleep, and breathe walleyes up there.

 

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

Its the same here in MN.  Walleyes are on a pedestal and everything else is inferior.

 

2 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Walleye hands down!

They have several things going for them as table fare.

Usually easy to catch.

Easy to clean and cook.

Fillets practically fall right off.

A-Jay

[Mobasser]

Just now, gimruis said:

Yellow perch is better than all of them.  A limit of jumbos is like trying to strike gold nowadays though.

I've only eaten yellow perch one time. My brother in law lived in Iowa years ago. We got into a school of yellow perch in early April.  It was cold. He cooked them for breakfast the next morning. I agree, they were super good. 

[gim]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Usually easy to catch.

 

That part might be subject to debate.  Even here in MN they aren't as easy to catch as some might think and nearly every lake or river has some.  They are also very restrictive on which size you can keep because most of the bigger lakes people target them on have slot size restrictions.

 

If you asked a walleye angler how difficult it is to catch a bass compared to a walleye, they'd laugh at you.

[Mobasser]

I was told years ago that most freshwater fish taste better coming from colder water. I think this may be true. Anyone else think so? 

[Spankey]

You guys got my belly growling early this morning. 
Enjoy the party. 
 

[TnRiver46]

I don’t, fish out of hot water taste great. The key is keeping them alive or quickly on ice 

 

we eat LM out of a swamp in Alabama yearly with water temps up to 94 and they are absolutely delicious 

[Mobasser]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I don’t, fish out of hot water taste great. The key is keeping them alive or quickly on ice 

 

we eat LM out of a swamp in Alabama yearly with water temps up to 94 and they are absolutely delicious 

This is fact. If you plan on eating fish, ice them down as quickly as possible. I wish we had yellow perch and more walleye around here. We have some walleye, but I don't know many guys that really go after them.

[bp_fowler]

I’m sure I’m in the minority but Catfish all the way for me.

[Mobasser]

Well, since I'm watching my weight, the fried fish is not the most healthy thing for me to have. I won't eat nearly as many as before. I'm sure my wife will keep my portions in check...

[Spankey]

5 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I was told years ago that most freshwater fish taste better coming from colder water. I think this may be true. Anyone else think so? 

I think you might have something there. I am not a big fan of eating fish. I generally don’t keep much other than trout and give them to friends that don’t fish and love to eat them. 
But I enjoy eating some Walleye and big Bluegills that I catch. Caught in colder water.  Sometimes ice fishing over the years. 

[GRiver]

@Mobasser have a great party take lots of pic for us, extend my best wishes to the birthday boys and friends and family.

I’d have to pick crappie, bluegill close second.

[gim]

9 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Well, since I'm watching my weight, the fried fish is not the most healthy thing for me to have. I won't eat nearly as many as before.

 

I ate so much fried fish growing up (mostly walleye, some pike) that I've become turned off by it.  I prefer to prepare mine another way now.  Either grilled or baked instead about 3 times a year.  Its much healthier and doesn't mask the true taste of the fish like pan or deep frying can.

 

Minnesota doesn't allow us to "stock pile" fish in the freezer either so a big family gathering meal of fish wouldn't be possible unless everyone brought their own.  BYOF

[Pat Brown]

Walleye is probably the tastiest but there aren't a lot in NC so I'm gonna go with a healthy channel catfish.  Hard to beat.

[Spankey]

3 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

I’m sure I’m in the minority but Catfish all the way for me.

Not sure you are in the minority. I do like catfish if it is in a strip, chunk or small filets. Farm raised stuff. I’ve caught some big channel cats and flat heads in my smallmouth river but never gave any thought to eating them. 
As a kid on the lake I’d catch bullheads and smaller channel cats, stuff 15” or under and they would get cooked up. 

[king fisher]

If someone else cleans and cooks the fish, I will eat them.  I like to catch them.