Eating bass?

[Scott the fishman]

Okay so i heard a lot of people talking about cooking bass up always want to try it but i got a few questions.
How do you cook them your favorite way?

Do they taste to some similar meet such as pork, beef, or chicken?

Do you immediately kill them after you catch them or let them die on there own if you kill them how?

Kind of off topic but a couple other questions?
My dad has diabetes and he hates fish just in general is largemouth good for diabetes? If so any tips on convincing him?

My grandparents have 3 private pond one with 3 lbers are the averages catch but i would obviously catch a small one for my first bass how do you think i could talk them into letting me eat fish from there lakes? (They love animals and not super fond of poachers)


P.S. I have caught gutted and cooked trout so no need on explain gutting and stuff unless its different for bass

[bamabassman]

ok scott. be ready for some catch and release comments her ok? but i am one of those who DO eat bass. that is WHEN LISA catches them for us. lol.


here is how we prepare our "fillets".

they are alive and kicking. don't let them die then cut em . lok up a video of how to fillet a fish. no bones after you do this.

then we soak the fish in some water mixed with lemon juice (takes out the fishy smell and taste, trust me) or oyu can do this with buttermilk too.

now you have oyur fillets, now grab you some batter mix. what ever you prefer. then after oyu have dipped oyur fish in some milk or buttermilk throw em in a bag of the batter mix. shake it up real good so oyu get a nice covering all over the meat.

then jsut pop em in the pot of oil and turn em over till they are done. a nice golden color is what oyu are looking for. it doesn't take long for fillets to cook. i'd say depending the size of said fillets determine how long it takes. the meat should be nice a nd flaky.

fish is a great source of protein and is good for folks with diabetes. my mother has been a diabetic for over 40 years, she wears the pump now. and if cooked properly, no one will ever know it wasn't from a resteraunt. bass is a very light white meat. the only way it would be "fishy" is if oyu left the skin on and didn't soak it in the lemon juice and water or buttermilk. i love the taste of bass......and i HATE fishy tasting fish.

and just joking here, but everything tatses like chicken don't it? lol!!!

as for getting permission to harvest a few fish form oyur grandparents pond............well oyu would have to agrue that unless they harvest some, the fish will never get any bigger and the pond will become over populated. this is a true statement. contact oyu local wildlife conservation officer, they will tell oyu just how much to harvest to keep the pond in balance. it is so many pounds per acre of water or something like that. meaning size determines how many fish to take out.

[boloson]

just gonna reiterate what bama said. i eat bass but not too often. deep frying is probably the best tasting way to cook em imo. yellow perch for some reason are real tasty.

no i wouldnt say it taste like chicken, pork or beef. it is more of a white light flaky meat.

killing them directly is the best way because it'll be the freshest. a cooler of ice will work great too if u have to travel a bit.

any fish would be good for your health. it's very high in omega 3 fatty acid & protein. your dad will benefit from eating fish. convincing someone to eat any seafood is tough. maybe make a bet with him saying that'll you'll go to college if he eats fish? just an example

convince your grandparents by saying harvesting is population control

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by Scott the fishman

Okay so i heard a lot of people talking about cooking bass up always want to try it but i got a few questions.
How do you cook them your favorite way?

I still think it's pretty hard to beat frying them in corn meal. Look up some recipes on line for specifics. I also like marinating the fillets in Lawry's Herb and Garlic for an hour or so before I put them on the grill. John said something about soaking them in water with lemon juice... that's always a good idea, especially if the people you're cooking for don't like the fishy flavor some fish has.

Do they taste to some similar meet such as pork, beef, or chicken?

No

Do you immediately kill them after you catch them or let them die on there own if you kill them how?

I don't think it really matters, I just let em die though, less work that way

Kind of off topic but a couple other questions?
My dad has diabetes and he hates fish just in general is largemouth good for diabetes? If so any tips on convincing him?

The only reason you dad hates fish is because he's never had good fish cooked good. IMO it's impossible to say you hate fish unless you've tried all fish. None of it tastes exactly alike

My grandparents have 3 private pond one with 3 lbers are the averages catch but i would obviously catch a small one for my first bass how do you think i could talk them into letting me eat fish from there lakes? (They love animals and not super fond of poachers)

Generally smaller bass around 2 lbs tastes best. Let them know you have to keep fish from fish in small ponds to keep the population down so the lake doesn't get over filled. If the population is to big for the body of water the fish will start to get real unhealthy.


P.S. I have caught gutted and cooked trout so no need on explain gutting and stuff unless its different for bass

IMO it's best to fillet them rather then eating them whole like trout.

I'm a pretty big Catch and release guy myself. But there's nothing wrong with keeping a few small ones ever year to eat. It can actually help big fish get bigger, and almost big fish get big. More food for the bigguns. It freaking ticks me off though when I see people keeping big bass. You gotta keep those big fish genes going.

[keithdog]

I am going to offer you a grilling option which is a favorite of my family. I've never soaked the fillets as John recommends, so I am going to try that and see first hand the difference. Thanks for the tip John. Now I get a disposable aluminum grilling sheet. They look like a cookie sheet but with many small holes in the bottom of the sheet. If you cant find this, simply make a heavy duty aluminum grilling pan. Now take your fillets and sprinkle Cavenders Greak Seasoning and garlic powder on the fillets. Preheat the grill and then put the gilling sheet/pan on the grill and brush melted butter on it. I use the pump spray bottle of atificial butter. Works great. Then add your fillets and cook till mostly white about half way through the fillet. Brush butter on the fillet and flip over and finisih grilling. The fillets are done when they are white all the way through. Slightly browned edges are fine.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by keithdog

I am going to offer you a grilling option which is a favorite of my family. I've never soaked the fillets as John recommends, so I am going to try that and see first hand the difference. Thanks for the tip John. Now I get a disposable aluminum grilling sheet. They look like a cookie sheet but with many small holes in the bottom of the sheet. If you cant find this, simply make a heavy duty aluminum grilling pan. Now take your fillets and sprinkle Cavenders Greak Seasoning and garlic powder on the fillets. Preheat the grill and then put the gilling sheet/pan on the grill and brush melted butter on it. I use the pump spray bottle of atificial butter. Works great. Then add your fillets and cook till mostly white about half way through the fillet. Brush butter on the fillet and flip over and finisih grilling. The fillets are done when they are white all the way through. Slightly browned edges are fine.

What really sure what the point of the cookie sheet is keith? Do you take the sheet put it on the greats and put the fish on the cookie sheet? I guessing you do this so the fillets don't fall all to pieces.

[Scott the fishman]

Thank you all so much i cant wait to try these recipes. for my first bass i am gonna catch one just over 12 inchs just so i dont kill a big fish (i will never do) but for now i will have my first bass over 12 inchs and i will most likely fry it for my first one because who doesn't like fried food haha. but thanks so much again.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

What really sure what the point of the cookie sheet is keith? Do you take the sheet put it on the greats and put the fish on the cookie sheet? I guessing you do this so the fillets don't fall all to pieces.

Exactly! The fillet will sometimes break in half or a corner may break off while fliping and the sheet keeps the fillet from falling through the grates.

[Top Tiger]

Bass make great ceviche. South American dish.

[BigBassin144]

IMO, a soft white fish like bass is best fried. Now we will eat them occasionally, but it's definitely not my favorite. We've got access to two of the best eating fish around; Yellow Perch and Walleye. Both are much better than bass. Bluegill would probably be my next pick. Many like Crappie, but I'm not a fan.

When it comes to keeping bass to eat, I do mainly fish C&R. Like I said, with Perch and Walleye to fish for, there's really no need to keep bass. But when we do, it's generally the smaller ones around 14-16". The filets aren't as big, but I think they taste better. Many walleye fishermen will tell you a smaller male is much better eating than some of the big females caught during the spawn here in the spring. Some don't believe this at all; but just take a look at cow's meat. Veal tastes much different than it's older counterpart, plain old beef.

If your dad doesn't like them, there isn't much you can do to change his mind. Try asking him nicely to simply try it. If he doesn't like it, that's fine.

To cook them, we filet them. All fish is better fresh, but if you have to freeze the filets, do it in a ziploc bag filled with water. To cook, we coat in a cracker crumbs seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Fry them in Canola, vegetable, or peanut oil at around 350* unto the fish is golden brown and flaky.

BB

[Dogmatic]

First, I like to say I am a Chef. If I was going to eat large or small mouth bass, which I never do mainly because I have access to "better" eating fish, any panfish, walleye, and trout is better than bass(except white striper and hybrids). Second, I would not marinate my fish for long periods, acid , especially lemon juice, cooks the fillets, and has a tendency to ruin the texture. The simplest way to cook is lightly dredged in seasoned flour and pan fried with a small amount of coconut oil, then you can add a squeeze of lemon. Third, bass, and white fleshed fish in general are very low in omega 3. Nutritionally white fish is really just a good source of clean protein, best served simply without adding a lot of "bad" fat by deep frying. In full disclosure, I am not only an avid c & r fisherman, and trained Chef but married to a Nutritionalist. I hold nothing against the "occasional" culling of bass, but just want you to know there are better and tastier options out there. Bon appetite!

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by Dogmatic

First, I like to say I am a Chef. Bon appetite!

I'd like to volunteer Dogmatic as the "official chef" at our next BassFishin.Com get together!!!

[screwballl]

First, I only keep ones in the 12-18" range for eating, any bigger and they get to "fishy tasting" and higher risk of mercury retention.

Second, my father in law got me turned on to Shore Lunch. Won't cook fish in anything else anymore.

[johnD]

I prefer catfish over bass , specs/crappie 2nd..But I hardly ever eat freshwater fish anymore ,I'll take saltwater fish over freshwater any day of the week.Pompano and flounder,snapper and grouper are my favorite.

[ruffedgrousedog]

Tried to keep fresh fish cooking as simple as possible .fish do not need batter but a ligh flouring to prevent drying up
saute in fried pan with butter salt white pepper and a squeze of lemond at the end.
nice rosee of California and you will be surprise!
If it smell, it's not fresh!!!

[bluebasser86]

I've never ate a bass that tasted good, doesn't matter how it's prepared, where it came from, or what size it was. If I'm going to eat fish then I'm going after walleye!

[Rodz]

I brought two home to cook over the week end. The lakes around here are very clear. I don't know if that has anything to do with taste, but these are very good. My wife isn't much of a fish eater but she really likes fresh caught bass. I use Drakes mixed with beer instead of water. Cook in peanut oil at 375 for 3-4 minutes. Very good.