What do you do with a speared northern???

[lovetheice]

What are some ways or special recipes you all do with the northerns you spear? I for one have found that smoking the pike is now my favorite, followed by the "Slim's Special Spread" and the all time favorite mama ole's pickled pike. What do all of you like?

[bassNspear]

what i usally do is ither fillet them and deep fat fry them, or pickel the. Its pretty tough to beat it those way.

[hanso612]

I make crab cakes. Fillet the northern as usual. Fry the fillet on the stove top with just butter and old bay. Let the fillet cool. Then sit at the table and separate each flake and remove the Y bones(this does not take very long)Throw the flakes in a mixing bowl.

The flakes become the crab in your best crab cake reciepe. I like to mix in a couple of eggs, mayo, cracker crumbs, worchestershire, celery flakes, and lemon and more Old Bay salt and pepper.

I then make patties. I keep my mix just dry enough to hold together. I also like way more fish than cake.

Let the patties set in the fridge until the glutten and egg set up or they will fall appart. Lightly dust them with flour and pan fry with light oil and a touch of butter to help them brown.

Serve with a remalaude made from half mayo and sour cream -spiced to your liking with a little hot sauce and more Old Bay.

Drizzle with lime or lemon juice.

Man it must be getting close to dinner time,Hans

[merkman]

I like them baked, pickled, smoked, sandwich spreaded, and fried also.

I think the sandwich spread is my favorite!!

Many times I will come home clean the fish and cut the boneless back section off (behind the ribs) and fry it up fresh for lunch.

Then bake, pickle, or smoke the rest

To bake them I just dress the head, tail, innards, and fins off of them and leave the skin on, scales and all.

Next scrub the outside of the northern with a stiff bristled brush and lots of water to get all the slime off them. Wash it 6 to 10 times to make sure all the slime is off.

After you have "all the slime off" Take a handful of salt and rub all over the skin this will take more slime off. Rinse all that off. Then salt them one last time, rub it in and rinse one last time.

Then just put them on a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil, Season to taste, and make a tinfoil tent to go over them.

Bake in the oven at 350 Deg until the meat is white, flaky, and the moistness you desire.

When the fish is done just peel the skin from the meat, carefully pick the one side of the fish off the bones (it should come up in large pieces) using some large forks. Then separate the meat where the Y bones are and pull all the Y bones out of one side. Grab the back bone and gently lift. All those bones will come out in one piece. Then just pull the Y bones from the piece you have left over and enjoy the boneless northern feast.

Refrigerate the leftovers and the next day; flake all the cold leftovers, add sweet pickle relish and mayo and enjoy an awesome fish spread sandwich!!! mmmmm

[lovetheice]

Gotta love the fish spread that is forsure!!!!!

[JoeTC]

I usually just bread and fry them, they make great fish sandwiches. Spread and crab cakes sound awesome though, can anyone share their recipe?

Joe

[spearman]

remove the y bones cut up into small strips bread them and eat like theres no tommorow. Had my first meal tonite had to fight with my 4 year old daugther to get the last piece.

[bassNspear]

thats awesome that your 4 year old daugther loves them. That just means you will have to get out more!

[Gordie]

pickele,smoked,bbq'd,deep fryed,baked,and eat,eat, eat

have been taking the Y bones out and saveing the strip of meat and bones for pickleing, speacaily on the bigger ones. try not to waste any of the precious pike

[Huey]

I pan fry them. Mmmmm...

I'm also a fan of a fish sandwich on cottage bread. The fish cakes and fish spread sound good. I'll have to try those. I also want to try smoking pike.

When you guys smoke pike how do you prepare the fish? Do you filet them, leave them whole, steak them?

I better spear some more fish , I got some cooking to do.

[bassNspear]

when we have smoked them, i remove the head, and the gutz, and smoke the fish whole. That was the smoke will get into the skin and then into the meat, and cant get back out!

Its awesome eating it this way!

[Gordie]

Huey I fillet and take out the rib bones. I also leave the skin on. brine in salt water for 24hrs then rinse off and soak in water with brown sugar and some molassas for 24hrs then into the smoker. Now I'm all worked up for smoked pike I just may have to venture out in this artic weather to get some.

[lovetheice]

Yeah, we filet them also soak in salt water 2 days and smoke, I better go eat the ones we did this weekend.....MMMMMMM

[mnguy152]

eat them or pickel

[Covey]

Hans awesome crab cake recipe. I'm trying that for sure. What a great idea

[firejumper]

usally pickel most but known to just bake a few and eat them up