Bass recipes

[fishinphyl]

I know we had some fun with this before, but with the opener here does anyone have some great bass recipes? I soaked mine in milk and lemon juice and then fried them after dipping in flour and cornmeal and they were great. How about it?

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Phyl

[Guest]

Now that bass has opened I too would like some recipes on how to cook them. I recall someone posting a recipe about bass and some boots or something? Please help!

[Ybone]

Yes, bass can be a little hard to choke down. It takes a strong stomach and something cold to wash it down. Mucker, I believe your referring to the old boot recipe. It's a classic recipe developed for preparation of the rank tasting types of fish and game such as bass. I posted a version of it about a year ago. We may have to dig it up, a lot of people are threatening to eat bass this spring because of slow walleye fishing in some areas.

[Guest]

Bass Recipes...

BAKED BASS
1- 5 lb. bass or equivalent
1 lg Onion, chopped
1 Bell pepper, chopped
1/2 Stick margarine
2 cans Tomato sauce
1 can Whole tomatoes
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup Cooking wine
1/2 cup Green onions and parsley
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and season well, ahead of time, preferably overnight.
Wilt onions, and bell pepper in margarine.
Add tomato sauce and whole tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes in uncovered pot.
Add 2 cups cold water and seasoning to taste along with dash of Tabasco.
Cook for 25 minutes over medium heat.
Add wine and pour mixture over fish you have placed in a baking dish.
Bake in 325°F oven for 40 minutes.
Baste several times.
Sprinkle with parsley and onion tops and serve, garnishing with slices of lemon.
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SAUTEED SMALLMOUTH BASS
1/2 pound smallmouth bass, filleted
5 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon vinegar
Parsley for garnish

Dredge the fillets in a mix of cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper.
Sautee slowly in melted butter over medium heat until well browned.
Turn; brown the other side.
When the fish has turned opaque, remove to a warm platter and garnish with parsley.
Stir the vinegar into the fat and crispies, heat and pour over the fish.
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BEER BATTERED BASS
2 pounds bass fillets
Lemon juice
Flour
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanut oil

Batter

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup beer

Slice fillets into 2-inch strips.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and roll in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Prepare batter by combining flour, salt and cayenne pepper, then gradually blend in beer until thoroughly mixed.
Heat oil in cast iron dutch oven or fish fryer.
Dip fillets in batter and fry until golden brown.
Drain on paper towel to remove excess grease.
Serve with hot sauce or tarter sauce.
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Bass Hash
2 lbs. bass (cooked)
1 lb. hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup green pepper (chopped)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 lb. bacon (cooked, crumbled) saving grease
Lemon pepper
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Take oil from bacon, put into sauce pan.
Sautee onion and green pepper.
Set aside.
Add hash browns, fry till slightly browned.
Add lemon pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and fish.
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SOUTHERN FRIED BASS
Four to six bass fillets
Cornmeal
Salt and pepper

Mix cornmeal, salt and pepper in plastic bag.
Shake to mix.
Heat oil in deep cast iron pot (preferably over an outdoor fish cooker).
Shake fish in cornmeal mixture and drop into hot oil.
Fry until golden brown.
Serve with southern hush puppies.
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Bass 'N' Peppers
1 lb. bass fillets
3 T. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 medium green peppers (cut into 1-inch pieces)
8 oz. mushrooms, halved
3 T. vegetable oil

Mix soy sauce, garlic and ginger.
Brush mixture on both sides of fish.
In 10-inch skillet, cook green peppers and mushrooms in oil over medium heat until crispy, about 6 minutes.
Then fry fish separately from vegetables until they flake easily, about 8-10 minutes.
Add vegetables and heat until all is hot.
Serve with rice.

[fishinphyl]

Hey Coldone you have outdone yourself! Thankyou these look great.

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Phyl

[Guest]

Coldone, that "bass hash" sounds pretty interesting. I'd like to try a bowl of that! Still waiting on that ol boot recipe but in the mean time I like to make "blackened bass" on the grill.

[Ybone]

Coldone, I read through your recipes and kept waiting for the punchline but then realized you were serious. I may have to try the bass hash. Mucker,what's the secret to your blackened bass. Phyl, You realize some of those recipes have onion in them. Have you been yanking us around on the onion thing and are really closet onion eater?

[Guest]

Sorry to dissapoint all of you, I know this thread was supposed to present a little humor regarding the misconception of the quality of bass fillets for culinary purposes. But the fact is, bass, properly cared for is delicious! For states to our south and east, it is one of the prefered fishes for the table, I picked up a fish cookbook on sale at one of the bookstores a few weeks ago, of nearly a hundred recipes, they all begin the same: X pounds of bass filets (or substitute) fish like walleye, perch, catfish and other white fleshed fish were listed as acceptable substitutes. Now I am not saying that bass are my favorite, my list from most to least preffered goes something like: 1) Crappie 2) Perch 3)Walleye 4) Northern Pike 5) Channel Catfish 6) Bass 7) Trout 8) Smoked Cisco or Whitefish 9) Bullhead 10) Carp or Sucker. Here in minnesota, the opportunities for catch for the supper table are good, from white bass in the early spring, to smaller sized largemouth after opener, and cooler lakes and streams in the midsummer, good fishin and good eatin!

[fishinphyl]

I just wanted coldone
to feel good after all that work - but don't tell him. I will be deleting the ONIONS! Ugh how can you use onions with fish? I tried the Shore Lunch last weekend and did not care for it - all we could taste was the batter and not the sunnies. Anyone else had this problem?

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Phyl

[Guest]

Phyl, I too think that "shore lunch" is a little strong but I find if you cut it some with either some plain flour or cornmeal it is much better. As far as the onion flavor, have you ever tried using "pleasoning" - it is very flavorful but not oniony. Ybone, for blackened bass the first and most important thing to do is always remove that dark strip of meat along the backs of bass. Then spray a little oil onto tinfoil - sprinkle some garlic powder, fresh pepper and some cajun seasoning. Then lay your bass filets on that and sprinkle the top of the bass with the same. Put this on the grill and only cook until the filets are white.(don't turn them) Yum Yum
Coldone, haven't tried the hash yet but still really want to.

[fishinphyl]

mucker
I used the shore lunch because I was in a hurry and did not want to take time to mix up flour and cornmeal. Since I still have some left I will have to try to mix it like you suggested. I think when that is gone I will just take the time to mix my own. Thanks so much for the hint!

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Phyl

[Ybone]

Thev thing I don't like about Shore Lunch is the way it cakes or beads up so it's hard to bread the fish, otherwise I don't mind the spicy flavor. I found some breading at Fleet Farm called Paul's which I like.
Coldone, You left out bluegill or sunnies. I put them in the top 3 with crappie and walleye, perch 4, northern 5, rock bass 6, largemouth 7. Northern is actually better than all of them for certain recipes such as boiling or broiling and whitefish is pretty good broiled too.

[Guest]

Ybone, I am shocked that you would put rock bass before largemouth bass for eating. How do you make your rock bass? I've heard that some people make it like lutefisk! The lye really helps take that taste away.

[Ybone]

I put the rockies ahead of the largemouth because they deserve to be, they're better tasting. We once had a fish fry of largemouth and rockies that my young nephews had caught and everyone preferred the taste of the rockies. They're not highly regarded because they're kind of an ugly fish and kind of hard to clean but they have a light colored flesh that looks a lot like walleye. The ones from the lake I fish are seldom wormy.

[kickbass]

Bass are only good for catchin' not eatin'!

[Dano2]

YBone, put the shorelunch in a tuperware container or big jar and throw your fillets in there and shake it around like shake-n-bake, it works great and coats it nice and even,
I only use to catch bass for fun too, until a buddy of mine fromt the south got me to start keeping them,, ofcourse in the south, bass and catfish are real popular, he got me to try the bass, but not the cats yet.
I think the basss are a bit gamey,
so what I do is soak the fillets in a litlle salt and a little garlic salt water for about 4 hours, then I soak them in milk for about another hour, then use my shorelunch.
I think it tastes great, Its so easy to catch a limit on bass, and hey, somebodys got to take em evry once in awhile.
I think any fish could be good as long as you know how to fix it, cats I am searching for a good BASIC recipe for them. then maybe I WILL go with my buddy catfishen.
Same goes for Duck, I dont care for the real gamey taste of duck, so i put them in a pan and throw a can of cream of mushroom soup on it along with a couple strips of bacon,
it gets rid of that gamey taste and is nice and tender.

[Guest]

Dano2, I'm surprised that your buddy from the South hasn't turned you on to "blackened bass". That is how I prefer to eat bass and it is delicious. I make it on the grill - no soaking of the fillets or anything. It is the seasoning that you put on the fillets that make it. Ybone, I know you prefer those ol' pink eyes but I just can't see it. Bassassin, I know that you prefer to catch bass than eat them but you should really try a fresh bass on the grill - you may like it.