By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks, I hope everyone is well. I don’t know about you but I’m already looking forward to some warmer weather. With that being said, the fishing has been awesome so far this year; catching good numbers of bass, perch, crappie, and walleye. Now, anyone that knows me knows I love fish but there’s one thing I enjoy more and that’s eating fish. So, I thought for this article I’d share some tips that’ll help you enjoy eating your catch.
Now, on about every trip someone invariably asks what’s my favorite fish to eat. Without a doubt, my favorite species is our wild Brooke trout. Nothing tastes better than a fresh caught Brooke trout, rolled in cornmeal and pan fried right on the side of the creek. Rainbow and brown are really tasty but don’t compare to Brooke trout. As far as lake fish, I really like crappie, yellow perch, walleye, blue gills, and spotted bass. We do have catfish, white bass, and striped bass in our lakes, and I do like these but tend to prepare them differently. For the white bass and striped bass, I like to cut out any red meat and I usually cut them in smaller pieces. If I’m gonna’ blacken them, I don’t do much else to the fillets If I’m gonna’ fry them, I’ll soak overnight in buttermilk, which draws out the oils and makes the fillet not taste as strong. The crappie, walleye, yellow perch, and spotted bass, I like fried. I usually just dip my filets in egg and roll them in cornmeal and pan fry or deep fry. There are numerous fish fry options you can get at the grocery store, and most are good. Some of the Cajun breading is really good, if you like it spicy.
One of the best, if this is your taste, is called Uncle Bucks and comes from Bass Pro Shop’s. Just be sure to add cornmeal to it or it will be so spicy hot you can’t eat it. Same as the blackened seasoning you really need to experiment to see what fits your family’s tastes. I guess if I had to pick my favorite, it would be my own which is to put ruffles potato chips, chees-its, and saltines in a blender and make a powder out of them; then add a little cornmeal. It is really good but costly for fish batter. I was lucky and got a version of Long John Silver’s batter recipe from a friend I really like it too.
I prefer my fish fileted, with the exception of smaller trout and bluegills. Both of these tasted better cooked with the bones in and skin on. I simply scale the bluegill and dip in egg, roll in corn meal, and pan fry. Probably one of best tips I can give you is, after the fish is caught, keep them cold until you get them home. I’ve seen folks put fish in the live well in 80-degree water and by the end of the day, the meat was so soft you couldn’t hardly filet them. I keep ice on the boat for keeping my clients’ fish cold in the summer. Also, if you’re not going to eat them fresh, be sure to either vacuum seal the filets or completely cover them with water and freeze them. Fish are always better when eaten as soon as they come out of the pan but if you can’t eat them all then simply place the leftover fish in a toaster oven for a few minutes and they’re still pretty good. As good as our fish tastes, don’t keep more than you need. I’ve seen folks with fish in their freezer from 3 years back. No need to waste such a valuable resource. Well, I hope you get something from this article to help you enjoy your catch and as always, be sure to take a kid fishing!
Ronnie Parris is owner and head guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, N.C., heart of the Great Smoky Mountains www.smounlimited.com; (828) 488-9711.