Skin em or Scale em? What do you do and why?

[glenn57]

i only do it with sunfish. raised that way. i have ate them without skin but i think it removes a lot of the flavor. i do have a scaling pail which reduces scaling time. for instance my wife ahd i kept 26 sunfish yesterday in in pail took about 3 minutes to scale. good luck on your new adventure if you try.

[Float tube guy]

just strait up fillet them the taste the best that way......the reason why all the flavor goes away is because most people soak them over night in water......Just frreeze them or put them on ice!!!

[Surreal Deal]

Skin-on fillets for sunnies and crappies.

Skin-off fillets for walleyes and perch.

Trout and salmon I cook skin-on but the skin is not consumed.

Everything else is caught for fun and released.

[Sifty]

I fillet every thing.

I only scale when grandma calls and wants some sunfish.

Sifty

[jwhjr]

Fillet and skin.

[mainbutter]

Only things I leave skin on for is trout, salmon, and small sharks(the two time's I've had the opportunity to enjoy it!)

[weeds]

Skin em! Easily done by using a needle nose plier and making small incisions or skin cuts along the edges or fins. What people don't realize too is that them fish bones give flavor. When you filet such a fish without bones you take away flavor. You also waste less meat. Think of it this way, would you cook & eat some barbeque spare ribs or baby back ribs without the bone that helps give it's flavor? Alot of flavored soup are made using the bones or the animals or fish.

Spare ribs are braised and Baby backs are also cooked slowly, as are soups. Small fish don't really cook long enough to benefit from flavor transfer. Fish stock isn't cooked as long as beef or even chicken stock because it will go bitter. On the other hand, I'll eat the crispy skin off some Salmon. I mostly skin 'em though.

[fisherman-andy]

Spare ribs are braised and Baby backs are also cooked slowly, as are soups. Small fish don't really cook long enough to benefit from flavor transfer. Fish stock isn't cooked as long as beef or even chicken stock because it will go bitter. On the other hand, I'll eat the crispy skin off some Salmon. I mostly skin 'em though.

Oh I beg to differ. I think the fish will taste different without the bones. Whether you boil it for soup or grill or smoke them I dont think you need all them long hours of cooking like you do with ribs etc. If you insist thats the only way you can taste flavor then you could always just filet and cook the bones first before adding the meat.

[Gordie]

I scale all my panfish then fillet

[glenn57]

anyone that scales there fish ever use the scaling pail? works good. i love it. $50 bucks at fleet farm.

[weeds]

Originally Posted By: weeds

Spare ribs are braised and Baby backs are also cooked slowly, as are soups. Small fish don't really cook long enough to benefit from flavor transfer. Fish stock isn't cooked as long as beef or even chicken stock because it will go bitter. On the other hand, I'll eat the crispy skin off some Salmon. I mostly skin 'em though.

Oh I beg to differ. I think the fish will taste different without the bones. Whether you boil it for soup or grill or smoke them I dont think you need all them long hours of cooking like you do with ribs etc. If you insist thats the only way you can taste flavor then you could always just filet and cook the bones first before adding the meat.

The vast majority of people will find no distiguishable difference in flavor leaving the bones in a small fish other than that most Americans prefer not to eat around them. Do as you please, if you feel it makes a difference. If you mean to cook the fish whole (edit:gutted of course), then I'd agree. The most flavor is in the head (other than the flesh I suppose). But you'd likely want to cook it in liquid, or steam it to get the most out of it. But you probably burn more calories pickin' through the thing than you take from it. To each his own.

[Gordie]

I was told by my grandfather that there is a thin layer of oil between the skin and the meat on all fish and thats where you get most of your flavor from. He would just about scale every thing then fillet it except bullheads,catfish and northerns and with the northerns he would remove the eyes and gills then grandma would bake them. the skin peels off revealing the best tasting meat on the fish. I've told this to other people and they think I'm crazy but in those days they didnt waste anything.

[weeds]

Elwood, I've been told that my grandpa ate his northern the same way. Oils in fish or non-saturated fat are mostly distributed throughout the flesh in my understanding. There is some under the skin as well.... hence why I like salmon skin, scaled and fried up crispy. I think that you benefit less from that layer in fish like crappie, perch and walleye than you would from fatty fish such as salmon/trout,tuna and mackerel. Fish, I believe, don't have pockets of fat in the same way as beef or pork. I like a fish baked whole, but I prefer a larger, fattier fish is all.

[fisherman-andy]

The vast majority of people will find no distiguishable difference in flavor leaving the bones in a small fish other than that most Americans prefer not to eat around them. Do as you please, if you feel it makes a difference. If you mean to cook the fish whole (edit:gutted of course), then I'd agree. The most flavor is in the head (other than the flesh I suppose). But you'd likely want to cook it in liquid, or steam it to get the most out of it. But you probably burn more calories pickin' through the thing than you take from it. To each his own.

There are many many ways to prepare a fish, big or small shouldnt matter. Breaded filet and pan fried is far from the list when you think of extracting the flavors of a fish. I have had the opportunity of eating many different types of dishes cooked many different ways since i've had experienced from being in Europe & SE Asia countries on several trips. Add to that I also have family in the restaurant business, where the head chef/cook is persistent in they way they prepare or cook a fish to enhance flavors. So my perception of flavor is a bit different from the likes of maybe you or others. Im just saying some of these fish dishes would be impossible without the bones for flavor. So picking meat of bones is what I got to do then I really dont mind it, as long as it beats the same old boring taste. But like you said to each their own liking. There is no wrong way to cook a fish as long as you like it. Thats all that really matters.

[weeds]

I agree that there are many ways to prepare fish, but I submit that the size and variety of fish is certainly a consideration when choosing a preparation. And the trade off between a customer enjoying a small white fleshed, lean fish cooked in a way that brings out a debateable degree of flavor ,but is disagreeable in the work it takes to eat, it is something that I have had to consider a few times in my own restaurant career. And possibly something my father before me, and his before him, had to consider in their restaurant careers. And I think it was something discussed in my formal culinary training along with the various methods of preparation available. But your perception of flavor is likely different than mine. The important thing is what you like, I suppose, when you are cooking for yourself. This is starting to look like a whizzing contest. I love a plate of fried fish. You really want to find some flavor: filet the fish, vacuum pack it with a foodsavor (with a little butter or oil and/or the seasoning of your choice) then poach it inside the pouch. This will concentrate the flavor found in the oils inside the flesh without them being lost to the pan or diluted in liquid. This will also enable you to eat the fish boneless. You do however sacrifice the crispy texture I enjoy so much. Another trade off. Any way, good for you for going for that extra bit of flavor...... I'm too lazy I guess.

[fisherman-andy]

I agree that there are many ways to prepare fish, but I submit that the size and variety of fish is certainly a consideration when choosing a preparation. And the trade off between a customer enjoying a small white fleshed, lean fish cooked in a way that brings out a debateable degree of flavor ,but is disagreeable in the work it takes to eat, it is something that I have had to consider a few times in my own restaurant career. And possibly something my father before me, and his before him, had to consider in their restaurant careers. And I think it was something discussed in my formal culinary training along with the various methods of preparation available. But your perception of flavor is likely different than mine. The important thing is what you like, I suppose, when you are cooking for yourself. This is starting to look like a whizzing contest. I love a plate of fried fish. You really want to find some flavor: filet the fish, vacuum pack it with a foodsavor (with a little butter or oil and/or the seasoning of your choice) then poach it inside the pouch. This will concentrate the flavor found in the oils inside the flesh without them being lost to the pan or diluted in liquid. This will also enable you to eat the fish boneless. You do however sacrifice the crispy texture I enjoy so much. Another trade off. Any way, good for you for going for that extra bit of flavor...... I'm too lazy I guess.

Agreed. Like you said, most people would like to eat or enjoy the convenience of not picking meat of a small fish. But when you dont have much or want to actually go to the extreme for taste then I guess almost anything is possible.

I've visited remote tiny villages in China and Thailand where people cook & prepare small fish with bones intact. I guess for some its the only way. There is no special sauce, marinade for them other than natural flavors, & salt. In some ways its impractical to even filet these fish due to the amount of bones they have in the first place or little meat. For these people they may not have a way around it. So they make the best of it.

There is this popular special restaurant in ChiangMai, Thailand i've been too that cooks mainly fish and only fish is on the menu, nothing else. Mostly tilapia and catfish or other SE asian fish species. But most dishes are cooked with bones or even fish heads still intact for flavoring. Of course accompanied by special sauces, spices and other ingredients.

Even though I enjoy fish prepared many different ways, like you a pan fried & battered fish is very mouth watering good to me also. One of my favorites is flour battered deep fried walleye or catfish filet/whole (or your fish of choice) covered in an asian flavor tomato sauce. A popular dish in SE Asia & China. The fish usually used in this dish is a whole Tilapia. Some of you may think it strange to have fish & tomatoes? You have no idea how good it is until you've tried it.