Meat Grinders

[Moses2531]

I really enjoy the occasional small northern as table fair, I feel in many lakes with stunted populations that it is healthy for the lake also to keep a couple. Anyway, I'm not the best at cleaning them and since my family is sick of eating y-bones a friend of my dads offered me a suggestion... He said that taking the fillets of northern and removing the skin and passing them through a meat-grinder creates ground up fish and crushed bones that you are able to make fish patties out of... Has anyone done this or think it would work? I already have a small manual grinder and am thinking about trying this out, any comments and suggestions on the idea are greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

[bigdog]

Sounds like a good idea. Have not made fish patties before but would be interested in hearing how it works out.

[Mike89]

We have ground northerns and other fish too. They are very good as patties. Mix some egg, cracker crumbs, maybe some partly cooked bacon and any other seasonings you wish. Oh don't forget the onions!!! Fry like you would a burger in a pan or George Forman type grill. Excellent with cheese also.

[Moses2531]

Hey thanks alot! Its great that someone else has done this with success, my buddies were a little worried.. Haha but now their excited for when we accidently pick up a couple hammer handles... Now you just grind the Y-bones up in the grinder right, or doesn't that take care of them?? Thanks again!

[Mike89]

Grind away guys!!!! The bones are not an issue! Mike

[bigdog]

So just a bit of oil in a pan and fry like a burger? Or do you need more like you were doing a breaded fillet. I don't have any pike in the freezer but sure plan to try this over the winter.

[Mike89]

fry away like a burger. remember one thing, the thicker the the pattie the longer to cook. Mike

[aug495fish]

Do you just use eggs/cracker crumbs/onions etc. like you would in making a salmon pattie then? Care to share your recipe?

[Mike89]

Quote:

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Do you just use eggs/cracker crumbs/onions etc. like you would in making a salmon pattie then? Care to share your recipe?

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We most usually just throw it together. Besides what's been mentioned we use seasonings, such as pepper, cajun seasonings and what ever we think is going to taste good today! Bacon, pre-cooked, is good also. I wish we had a written recipe but we just poke along and enjoy the results. Mike

[Moses2531]

Can't wait to get a couple snakes on some tip-ups now! Thanks for all the help with preparing those bony fish! Shined up my little grinder just last night, getting it all set for some usE!

[homerj]

Last year I tried grinding a small nort, but all the bones didn't get ground up. Do you pass it through multiple times? What kind of grinder do you use? I have a real old one - the kind you attach to a table with a screw clamp.

Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

[Mike89]

We have used both hand and electric grinders with no issues of bones. Do it twice if you want but be carefull not to make mush. Mike

[Moses2531]

Just about ready to get done with all the finals for the semester and get up and hopefully catch some snakes! Cant wait to try out that grinder, i'll send it thru twice if the bones seem to be an issue but other then that let me try and get this straight.. Send the whole fillet, skinned thru the grinder and create patties with the meat that comes out the other end?? From here i add what spices and things i want to add to them and fry them similar to a regular fish fillet giving them an outter coding and some stability?? And hopefully my last step is to enjoy!? Thanks again for the help with this type of preperation, i'll let you know how it goes! now i'll just have to get some flags to fly...

[jonny_redhorse]

Moses...here's a pike recipe taken from a great book I have had for years!......"cleaning and cooking fish" by Sylvia Bashline....best book on cooking and preparing fish I've ever come across....!here's a Northern Pike recipe:

Northern Pike Patties

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium potato(about 6 ounces)

1 pound skinless northern pike fillets

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup dry breadcrumbs or corn flake crumbs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

In a sauce pan cook the spud...set it aside to cool

grind up the pike fillets (take out the y bones if you can...or just double grind the fillets...

add the milk to this ground up fish...

in a medium bowl,mix the fish cracker crumbs onion,worchestershire sauce,the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper.add the potato(shredded or mushed up of course)

refrigerate this mixture for about30 minutes to cool it off.

sprinkle bread crumbs on a plate or waxed paper.Form fish mixture into 1/2" thick patties.coat the patties with the bread crumbs(or corn flake crumbs),pressing lightly...place on baking sheet or tray...

In a 9" skillet,heat oil and the margirine or butter over medium-high heat...place 4 patties in the skillet.Fry for 2 minutes;turn the patties over.Fry until golden brown(about 2 more minutes)drain the patties on a paper towel....Repeat with the remaining fish patties.......serve these up on a bun along with sliced tomatos,lettuce ,mayo ,dill pickle slices...great way to eat those small northerns!....one obviously can add or change the seasonings to this recipe to their own taste....jonny