Smallmouth recipes

[minnesotashooter]

Does anybody have any good recipes for smallmouth? Or do you fix them just like walleyes/perch/crappies? I kept a couple from the other day to see how they taste. Any info would help.

Kevin

[muc33]

Kevin, I can honestly say I have never cooked a bass. Not for any reason other than anytime I have fished bass, I have always released. I would maybe post this in the bass forum or look at the recipe of the week in the cooking and sharing recipe forum.

[idratherbefishing]

I have ate smallmouth only once before and it was pan fried with shore lunch. Wasnt that great. Not sure what else you could do with it? I ve heard of people soaking filets in milk overnight to take the fishy taste out of them? Never tried that.

[walleyefey]

Kevin, eating smallmouth bass should be outlawed. I would try upgrading your taste buds to liking a more desirable fish to eat like walleye. If you get really hungry for fish try bullheads, not smallies.

[walleyes12]

my opinon catch and release bass and then find some panfish or walleyes for a meal.

[minnesotashooter]

my opinon catch and release bass and then find some panfish or walleyes for a meal.

Why are bass treated any different than walleye or any other game fish? I have never tried smallmouth but am going to. I have never kept any smallies except for this one time, all the rest of them have been catch and release.

Trevor, if you have enough beer just about anything is good!!!

[chaffmj]

I've eaten it and it wasn't bad. Maybe it depends on the lake.We had a shore lunch of walleye, smallies and northern when I was on Basswood and I thought they all tasted real good.

[Gary Crichton]

After you try Smallmouth you will answer that question yourself. They don't even look good fileted.(is that a word). I saw a person cleaning a couple in Canada about 25 years ago. They did not look good.

[riverwader]

I have heard you never eat bass after the water has warmed up. I have had bass before but I was strapped to a chair and had it force fed to me. I know what you mean by "why are bass considered differently than walleye and such". I think some people are out for fishing as a sport and some people just dont think of fishing as a sport they consider it a job and the filet is their pay. I cant understand why some one would take a picture of of bird when you can shoot it and eat it.

[MSRiverdog]

I've had a couple Greenies and Rock Bass many years ago, can't imagine a Smallie tasting any different, like garbage.

[minnesotashooter]

After you try Smallmouth you will answer that question yourself. They don't even look good fileted.(is that a word). I saw a person cleaning a couple in Canada about 25 years ago. They did not look good.

I will 2nd the not looking good after filleting, they are tough buggers to fillet and I didn't enjoy the process.

[Powerstroke]

I've eaten plenty of smallmouth, but they were always form the BWCA. Its not my favorite, but its better than trying to eat a northern.

It can be a bit slimy and fishy, but we always just broil them in foil with some seasoning. Its never been a big deal. Maybe its just cause its better than freeze-dried.

We had it last week side-by-side with walleye. Of course the walleyes were better, but the bass wasn't terrible.

[Wookiee]

Smaller Northern Pike are so much better than smallies it's not even close especially a 2 and a 1/2 to 3 pounder. If you fillet them without the bones they are absolutely delicious. I enjoy northerns more than walleye on occasion.

[Jackpine Rob]

I've known several people who actually prefer the taste and texture of smallmouth to other fish. One fellow in particular used to toss back walleyes, and only kept bass or the occasional northern for eating purposes.

Most people make faces and claim "bass are terrible" but if they were blindfolded and fed several varieties of fish, they would incorrectly name the species at least half the time. Just for fun I used to mix up bass, northern and walleye while cooking shore lunch, and most people couldn't tell the difference.

The only thing different filleting bass is the row of stubborn false ribs on each side. They're not too hard - just a few slightly different angles.

Out of cooler waters simply put the fish on ice, clean in a timely manner and rinse off thoroughly. You can soak the fillets in milk for a bit while you're getting ready to cook them, and I often do that with other fish as well, especially if I'm just going to roll them in a powdered coating prior to frying.

[nofishfisherman]

When you talk with people in northern MN they will tell you to eat all the smallies and leave the walleye. They aren't native fish to the northern lakes and some think they should all be done away with.

Personally I believe I've eatn all tpyes of game fish, walleye, smallies, largies, pike, and they all taste decent. Of course some better then others but all are decent. Nothing tastes bad in shore lunch.

[harvey lee]

I ate one once!!

[glenn57]

tomuchfun, when you y-bone them nords i hope you dont throw them away. thats a lot of wasted fish IMO. pickle them. but then i never understood it when people hand issues eating fish with bones in, take them out, its really not all that hard.

[Wookiee]

I like fried norts on occasion but I do pickle the majority of them and I don't take out the y-bones when i do that.

[LaXCarp]

Wow 17 replies and no one mentioning recipes. The only time I have eaten smallie I just fried it up like any other fish, texture was a bit different but they were tasty!

[glenn57]

ive had smallies grilled. leave skin on. when preparing i put butter or margarine, spread on fish, and any kind of seasonings you like, do include the fake, minced onions, and when fish is 1/2 done put lemon juice on it. when fish seperates from skin its done. i liked it.

[minnesotashooter]

Well, we ate the smallies tonight and I must admit that they were delicious. I put them on the grill with butter, salt and some lemon juice. All in all it was VERY good. We fixed walleye tonight and I really couldn't taste much of a difference. Gotta recommend the smallies for eating!!

[toughguy]

Smallies aren't that bad. I would rank them below eyes and pannies but not bad at all. Eat the smaller ones early and late in the season. A late July or August bass is a little mushy for me.

[Se Mn FishSlayer]

I think smallies are very tastey i eat them all the time out of the root i make a beer batter and fry them up in oil

[mtheis]

I wish I could appologize to you for all the people who trashed your idea of eating smallmouth bass. When we ate them they came from a a very cold lake, and they were probably 12-14 inches long. They would of died anyways, since they were hooked deep, and we thought, "why not, let's try it." Like you, we found them to be delicious. We let them sit in milk for a couple of hours before we cooked them just like any other fish. If I remember we used a Cajun mix as well.

Good luck with all your fishing!

[Sandmannd]

I soak them in a milk/water bath overnight in the fridge. Then use a beer batter and fry them up. I have only eaten them from cooler water in the spring or fall. They taste just fine to me. Not as flakey as a walleye, but they aren't bad.