Bass Brunch

A friend of mine took me to a local fishing hole close to the house the other day. We got started about 7:30 and were off of the water by 10:30.
We caught about a dozen bass. Just as we'd about fished our way back to his dock, he asked if I liked to eat bass. When I told him I had in the past and found them to be "gamey", he said we need to keep the next one and he'd show me how he filets them.

So, I caught a decent 1.5--2 pounder, and we went on in.
He got out his fish knife and cutting plank, and in a couple of mins had two nice fat fish slabs...and then released the fish back into the lake (lol).

i took the filets home and got the skillet and corn meal and spices and such out. I gave them a good soaking in the hot grease!

WOW! Them bass down at Lake Co9 had better watch out. That fish was really good!! I am gonna have to start keeping a few instead of turning them all loose.Attachment 1550

Ain't nothing wrong with a bass for eatin'. I like to soak them in a little ice water and a couple teaspoons of salt in the fridge for about a day, then rinse them well and fry 'em up. Seems to pull some of the oils that gives the part that's close to the spine that fishy taste. And the bass here can get a fishy taste this late in the summer, probably due to their diet changing over from crawdads to minnows for a big part of the summer. So I usually only keep 'em in spring or early summer, or best of all, winter. Looks like a fantastic brunch! You fry up some cackle fruit to go along with 'em?

BKB

What the heck is cackle fruit?


When I clean bass, I filet them and make sure when I'm pulling the skin off ( knife blade under meat but over skin sliding meat off) I get any red parts, still on the fish, cut out. That's where you get the fishy taste.

Then I cut the bone line out. Easy to feel and find it on bass.
With walleye, after filleting, split the tail vein and just pull the two pieces apart. One side will have the bone line and just pull it off.

Then I put my fish in a square baking 2 inch high dish in:
1 whipped egg, couple squirts of lemon juice with about 3/4 to whole can of fat free carnation milk. Add enough milk to cover the fish filets completely with the liquid
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and as long as over night.

Remove from liquid and coat with your batter mix.
I have homemade, little this, little that. Never 100% the same, each time

Fry in hot oil. I use Safflower oil cause its better for you. :D

Haha....cackle fruit is eggs my dear. I figured if it was brunch, you'd have a little breakfast, a little lunch. And fried fish and eggs is awesomeness.

BKB

Thought it was cackle berries?