Pickerel Deep Fried

[PulledPorkSandwich]

Thank you. There are a few species called pickerel, chain, grass and sauger that I know of. These guys that I cooked are also known as Walleye.

Ah, OK. I used to catch what Minnesotans called Walleye and Northern Pike when I lived in Minnesota. While I routinely threw Northern back, I never threw a keeper sized walleye back. It is one fine-eating fish, with very few bones.

Murray, yours do look excellent.

 

[Bearcarver]

Correct, that being said I’ll try any fish any time so long as I know what body of water and what country they come from. I never order fish of a menu though, two reasons, I don’t know where they came from and secondly they are usually overcooked.

OK---Thanks Murray & Jonok!!
We don't have Northerns, but we have:
Walleye that is way different than any of the others. And Excellent table fare---Like a Yellow Perch.
Muskys, including Hybrid Tigers. Huge & Bony.
Pickerel are plentiful, but a 25" would be Huge. Like a Baby Northern---Very Bony.

Bear

 

[Bearcarver]

Hybrid:
The Pennsylvania Fish Commission had Coho Salmon in the Delaware River but it’s underbelly was too soft for the sharp jagged rocks in the bottom of the Delaware, and it was getting cut up quite a bit.
So they crossed the Coho with the Walleye, because it had a tough underbelly.
They called that new Species a Kowal.
It was a Great Sports Fish & great tasting, but it wasn’t aggressive enough for PA Anglers.
So they crossed the Kowal with the Violent Muskie and called it a Kowalski.
This Fish was a Great Fighter, but was quite slow, and they had a hard time teaching them how to swim.

Bear

 

[Jonok]

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh! Mr Kotter, Mr Kotter, Mr Kotter!!!!

 

[dennis8483]

View attachment 470773After a quick rinse.
View attachment 470774
Battered and protected from

 

[dennis8483]

View attachment 470773After a quick rinse.
View attachment 470774
Battered and protected from the oil with bread crumbs
View attachment 470775
View attachment 470776
View attachment 470777
Not the healthiest meal but a family favourite. Usually I use cod but my wife found a deal, 11 pounds for $99. We had 22 pounds not that long ago. Best freshwater white meat fish IMHO.

Pickerel is some fine eating. Top of the list. We used to make pickled pickerel. Fun to break out at gatherings for cracker snacks.

 

[Steve H]

I kept looking at those fillets and thinking that must have been a big pickerel! Now I understand! I love Walleye, and I do believe they are one of the best freshwater fish out there. My personal favorite are perch caught through the ice.
Yours are cooked to perfection. I'd eat the hell out of these!

 

[dennis8483]

Fillets look great! Question though: Don't pickerel have "y-bones" like northern pike? Did you do any thing special to remove them before frying?

If you fillet them differently you can get 5 fillets off one fish with little to no bone. Picture a square rib cage. Fillet both sides of rib cage until end of rib cage. Then top of rib cage for a half moon shaped fillet and then finally, both sides of tail.

 

[Murray]

I kept looking at those fillets and thinking that must have been a big pickerel! Now I understand! I love Walleye, and I do believe they are one of the best freshwater fish out there. My personal favorite are perch caught through the ice.
Yours are cooked to perfection. I'd eat the hell out of these!

Thank you, I also like perch, a mild and sweet tasting fish much like Walleye. Especially fun with the Grandkids where they can catch lots in a short time. No “I’m bored” when they are hauling in fish hand over fist.

 

[Murray]

If you fillet them differently you can get 5 fillets off one fish with little to no bone. Picture a square rib cage. Fillet both sides of rib cage until end of rib cage. Then top of rib cage for a half moon shaped fillet and then finally, both sides of tail.

If I understand you correctly I used to fillet fish your way at one time until a Mine Captain I used to work with took me fishing and showed me his way which he learnt in a fish plant he used to work at as a summer student. A slit along the belly to the anus then two cuts on each sides of the anus, flip the fish over and cut through all the rib bones stopping 1/4 “to 1/2” short of the tail then cut the spine close to the tail. What your left with is two fillets (skin on) attached to the tail fin. If you are transporting the fish home you have evidence of species should the Conservation Officer check your catch. Once home then remove skin, rib cage and Y bones in the comfort of your kitchen.(away from Mosquitoes)

 

[PulledPorkSandwich]

If you fillet them differently you can get 5 fillets off one fish with little to no bone. Picture a square rib cage. Fillet both sides of rib cage until end of rib cage. Then top of rib cage for a half moon shaped fillet and then finally, both sides of tail.

I've learned that the OP was referring to what I call walleyes, which have few bones, are easy to clean, and are fine-eating fish!

When I lived in Minnesota, we'd fish for walleye often, and end up catching "northern" a fair bit in the process. Unless they were good sized, we'd almost always toss them back because they were hard to handle and full of bones. We'd all heard stories of the correct way to clean them to get rid of the bones, but none of us knew how to do it. Your approach sounds like the way to do it -- almost makes me want to go back to Minnesota, catch a few northern, and try it out! They're good eating if you can pick out the bones!

My dad used to catch what he called "pickerel" in northern Illinois from time to time. They were usually pretty small and he'd toss them back. From what he said, they looked a lot like a small "northern", and I suspect had bones like a northern too.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Interesting post and a lot of comments. But for sure I could do away with that plate of fish that are cooked to perfection.

Warren

 

[Murray]

Interesting post and a lot of comments. But for sure I could do away with that plate of fish that are cooked to perfection.

Warren

Thank you, appreciate the compliment.