Preparing Eel Pout

[iffwalleyes]

I have never at one of these buggers and everyone always say they taste so good. So ther more and more and have been thinking about maybe trying to eat some of these, especially since I manage at least a couple of these every trip out at Lake of The Woods. So first off I know how I am suppose to fillet them but the my next question is what are some of the different ways that you all have prepared them?? I know about boiling. Is that the best boil for about 5 minutes and the serve with Melted Garlic Butter?? Thanks for the help I am scared to clean them things I guess that is probably what has kept me from eating them darn things. I figure what the heck might as well try it at least them I would know if I like it or not.

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Grip it and Rip it

IFFWalleyes
I Fish For Walleyes
[email protected]

[Jim W]

LAst Year was my first. We tried preparing them two separate ways, coming to a preference.

We "back strapped" the burbot so to speak, removing the upper meat from the filets.

We tried boiling them in 7-up and baking them.
I prefered the latter.

We through the lawyers in with some walleye.
Fresh basil(has to be fresh) butter and lemon slices!

MMMMM. Not bad.

Jim W

[Marmot]

I have heard of boiling the backstraps in Mountain Dew. I am not sure if that is supposed to be a joke or not.

I have also heard of boiling the backstraps in water and them dipping them in butter and garlic.

BTW - I suggest a minimum of 12 beers in your system prior to filleting and eating a pout. Your mileage may vary of the quantity of beer.

Just my 2 cents...

Marmot

PS - I have never tried pout.

[Northlander]

Cut the straps in cubes and put in your favorite batter and deep fry. Good little fish poppers. Yum! The Cajun shore lunch can be good.

[This message has been edited by Northlander (edited 12-15-2003).]

[mpotter21]

I about lost my lunch reading this! jk

[Minnetonka]

I have had eel pout several times. While a little tricky to clean just because of the protective slime cover, when prepared and cooked properly, I would take cubes of pout dipped in butter over walleye. Anyone who thinks that just because an animal looks "un-appetizing" before being prepared, take a close look at a plucked chicken and tell me if that looks attractive?

[FishTracker]

Just cube the backstrap, sprinkle salt and pepper. Kick it up another notch by adding other spices of you choice and fry... BAM!!! Good eating!

[iffwalleyes]

cashcrews
Do you think Budweiser would count for fine wine haha?

Thanks for the tips I am thinking the it might actually take me a case of beer to clean one of them babies of course by them I will be in no shape to use a knife so someone else will have to clean it for me.

I don't know I think that I might need about a 16d nail and nail it through the head and then fillet it with some super duty rubber gloves and a chainsaw. I think that would about do me for protective equipement.

I think the bigger problem is that I might actually like it and then I will be forced to do it more often.

Thanks for the tips keep em coming.

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Grip it and Rip it

IFFWalleyes
I Fish For Walleyes
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by iffwalleyes (edited 12-15-2003).]

[Guest]

I use the crab boil too. I over cooked it the first time I had it. I guess I wanted to make sure it was done

5 minutes in crab boil then dipped in butter is my favorite.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
320-293-3287
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[hunt4food]

Just came back from LOW. We ate some as an appetizer before our fish fry. They boiled it in some water tainted with cajun spices and then we dipped it in butter. I hate to admit it, but since someone already did above,.....I think it tastes better than Walleye too! Don't knock it till ya try it!

[fivebucks]

The pout don't taste too bad. The last one I had I didn't cook right away so it sat in the freezer for a couple of months so I smoked it. It was better than the tulibee I smoked. I also have had them boiled and they're OK that way. You just have to get past the thought of them wraping around your arm if you ever grab them.

[Lake Alice]

Clean just like a catfish: nail head to a board, slit skin all the way around the neck and peel it off with a pliers. Fillet out the backstrap. Only about a one-beer job.

[the big dipper]

My advice is to scrap the belly meat: I filleted out a couple of eel's and fried the whole fillet, and the belly meat was kinda chewy and rubberey, and kinda put me off of eels.

[the big dipper]

My advice is to scrap the belly meat: I filleted out a couple of eel's and fried the whole fillet, and the belly meat was kinda chewy and rubberey, and kinda put me off of eels.

[mpotter21]

Maybe I'll try it out. I always thought there was only a few nutty people who would eat them. I admit Im wrong. I'll give it a try this year instead of giving them a big kick.

[Cyberfish]

They are not eels, but Burbot, a freshwater codfish and I think they are the best eating fish there is. I fillet the back and the tail section, fry them up just like any other fish. If you don't like to handle them use gloves. I have never tried skinning them like a cat, mabye I will try that if I can get one!That is my problem, I rarely ever cathc one.If anyone absolutly will not eat them, please release them so I can catch em
leaving them on the lake is illegal and a waste of a good eatin' fish!

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simul iustus et peccator

><}}}("< ---><!>

[Minnetonka]

I received my talk degree in Aquatic Biology from Bemidji State University back in the late 70's. One of the other students was working on his maters degree at that time and his thesis was on the types of food that eel Pout (Lota-Lota) consumed. It turned out that eel-pout ate the same food items as walleye.

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"I'd rather be fishing"

Mike

[Lunker]

Poor man's lobster as they are called! When my dad fished Mille Lacs years ago the native americans would come around and get the pout from fisherman who would otherwise throw them away, they knew they are tasty! No worse than skinning a bully or cat, and taste better!

[89Bronco]

I like 'em like Northlander does...cut up into cubes, beer-battered, and deep-fried! And yes, the CAJUN stuff is the best. I will have to try the boiled version this year.

[walleyehawk]

Cyberfish

Holy &^&*!! You have been hanging around on the thin ice with the walleyellbe "walrus". Like eelpout better than any other fish? I think we can arrange a walleye for eelpout trading system. I have caught them on Leech and LOW.

They are a great fighting fish, one of the better fighters, but oh how they break your heart when you see what is on the end of your line. I try the gaf and distance throw method just to get it out of the house and later pick it up once it has cooled down a bit. Give them to the walrus.

Hope things have been going well for ya. Was out this weekend and did ok on the crappies.

[wall eyell be]

mmmmm Walrus Love 'Pout Meat !!!

[Lunker]

You know somethings odd about your catch when you grab it, and it wraps around your arm

[Stradic]

Never tries it but they say it tastes real good, almost like lobster.

[Steve Foss]

Pout have been called "poor man's lobster" for good reason.

You can boil them in various soda pops, roll them in egg and batter or fry magic type stuff, if you want.

But then it's not lobster. Ever hear of doing those things to lobster? Nope. With pout, take the "backstraps," or upper half of the fillets, boil 'em in water with nothing else and dip them in melted butter. Costs a lot less than $20 a pound and tastes about the same.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[cashcrews]

I don't understand why people would lose their lunch over the thought of eelpout. They are a fish, just a bit slimier than a northern...

The only way I've ever done 'em, is to cut the backstraps into chunks and boil them for about 5 minutes. I boil them with a product called "crab boil", you can purchase it in the seafood section of most grocery stores. Dipped in melted butter, this is a real good treat.

Taken one step further, you may wish to complement the cuisine with a fine wine in the fishhouse!

Cashcrews