# Garfish for dinner last night



## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

OK I got the gar home, took a hacksaw cut half way down behind the head. Then took a tin snips and cut the skin down the middle of the back to the last back fin. Now you separate the skin by using a knife and your fingers. Pull the skin down out of the way using the knife to cut free any meat that hangs on the skin. Cut the meat away from both sides, you will have two long loins. Cut away any red meat on the sides if the filets. It will be good looking white meat with no bones. I cleaned it before my wife got home so she wouldn't see what the gar looked like. I put it in ice water after i cut it in 3-4'' chunks. Then simply roll the wet filets in frying magic that you can buy at krogers. We ate then for dinner last night, it was good mild white flaky meat. My wife said it was the best fish she ever ate.


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## sammerguy (Jun 7, 2011)

Good for you! I am glad to see some other guys on here eating "rough" fish. Carp is really good too, just clean it correctly.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

sammerguy said:


> Carp is really good too, just clean it correctly.


I am very interested in this, coming from a background of eating gefilte fish, but I have never attempted it. What is this correct way?

Greghal, thanks for the update! I may try this!


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

I've always heard good things about it, just seems like a lot of work. Your wife enjoyed it, but what's your opinion?


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I have also heard good things about it- just never really had the urge to try it. I always have so much other fish in the freezer to eat that seems a lot easier to clean. However I might give it a try this year.


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

Check this out. I found this awhile ago...


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

timmyv said:


> Check this out. I found this awhile ago...Cooking and eating Gar - YouTube


Cool video. Definitely have the me thinking about trying it now


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks for the review Greg. That's a pretty strong endorsement from your wife.


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

sammerguy said:


> Good for you! I am glad to see some other guys on here eating "rough" fish. Carp is really good too, just clean it correctly.


Sammerguy, I have caught several buffalo, have you ever tryed it. How is the best way to clean it. I might try you tube to see if they show you how.


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Matulemj said:


> I've always heard good things about it, just seems like a lot of work. Your wife enjoyed it, but what's your opinion?


Matulemj, I thought it was real good also it is just that thing in your head, i never even thought I would eat one. Thats why I want to try buffalo, they professionally fish for them like crazy.


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Hey DO she was still talking about it yesterday, asked if I had caught any more yesterday. It isn't that hard to filet, you just use different tools.


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Hey king, you ought to give it a try, Thats a good video thats where I got my idea to try it. The only thing I didn't do was nail it down and I just pulled and cut the skin down past its belly then fillet the meat off.


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## TurtleJugger (Jun 2, 2013)

When I was a kid. We caught gar on the scioto river while camping. We would try our best to fillet it then cook it over a fire. It was pretty nasty cooked that way. But I might try it again lol


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## sammerguy (Jun 7, 2011)

Really the only rule for carp is to avoid the belly meat and the lateral line(blood vein). Also I really prefer it grilled or baked to fried as it is a bit oily. If it is not fried, you can eat around the bones.

I have never caught a buffalo so i don't know about them. I heard that drum was good though.


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks sammerguy


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

sammerguy said:


> Good for you! I am glad to see some other guys on here eating "rough" fish. Carp is really good too, just clean it correctly.


It also helps if your carp come from reasonably clean cool water. Some guys yank carp out of a fetid cesspool and then wonder why they don't taste good! I intend to try freshwater drum (sheephead) this year.


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## sammerguy (Jun 7, 2011)

buckeyebowman said:


> It also helps if your carp come from reasonably clean cool water. Some guys yank carp out of a fetid cesspool and then wonder why they don't taste good! I intend to try freshwater drum (sheephead) this year.


Yup, get all your fish from fresh, cool, running water for the best taste.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

cool thread. When I was young my father was a professional taxidermist. On the Ohio I caught a huge gar that he mounted for his display. We ate it and I remember it being pretty good, you just needed tin snips to clean them. Now we need to learn how to cook these Asian carp.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

greghal said:


> OK I got the gar home, took a hacksaw cut half way down behind the head. Then took a tin snips and cut the skin down the middle of the back to the last back fin. Now you separate the skin by using a knife and your fingers. Pull the skin down out of the way using the knife to cut free any meat that hangs on the skin. Cut the meat away from both sides, you will have two long loins. Cut away any red meat on the sides if the filets. It will be good looking white meat with no bones. I cleaned it before my wife got home so she wouldn't see what the gar looked like. I put it in ice water after i cut it in 3-4'' chunks. Then simply roll the wet filets in frying magic that you can buy at krogers. We ate then for dinner last night, it was good mild white flaky meat. My wife said it was the best fish she ever ate.


Bravo! Sounds delicious! I'm always saying Fish is Fish! For the most part


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

I saw a ky afield show a while back and I think they were fishing for cats down at lake barkley. The guide on the boat had asian carp caned, and they were eating it. They said it was every bit as good as any canned salmon they ever had. I think buffalo will be my next fish taste test


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Hey Steve, maybe this spring we could have a OGF get together and do a little fish fry. I'm willing to bring some fish, batter, and fryer.


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## sammerguy (Jun 7, 2011)

greghal said:


> Hey Steve, maybe this spring we could have a OGF get together and do a little fish fry. I'm willing to bring some fish, batter, and fryer.


That sounds like fun! I cook for a living and would help to catch and cook it.


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## Chucknbob (Jan 14, 2012)

I believe gar is eaten in Louisiana. 

As far as Asian carp go, I grew up on the Wabash River in IL, and they're a real problem there. Illinois is trying to start a commercial fishing program for them. They're a popular food in parts of Asia. Here is an article about it in Field and Stream. http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/wild-chef/2013/03/how-fillet-asian-carp


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## TIC (Sep 9, 2009)

Greg,

Great job and thanks for the report. I remember seeing that episode of Kentucky Afield and thought it was very cool.

Curious, did you wear gloves while snipping and skinning the gar? I've heard that the armored scales are extremely sharp and can easily cut you if you are not careful.

I also want to give a huge shout out to Kentucky Afield TV. If you are a local sportsman and don't watch this show, you are missing out IMHO. I think it's the best outdoors show on TV. Not only does it highlight some great hunting and fishing opportunities in the Commonwealth, but it also gives you a good understanding of many of the programs your licensing fees support.


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## FishDoctor (Aug 9, 2012)

oldstinkyguy said:


> . Now we need to learn how to cook these Asian carp.


I put these up in House's first bad-news-bears thread with Asian carp. 










Someone else posted these:










I hope we can get people turned on to them and eat them all before they become the problem that other states are having!


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

greghal said:


> Hey Steve, maybe this spring we could have a OGF get together and do a little fish fry. I'm willing to bring some fish, batter, and fryer.


I'm definitely in...


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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Hey TIC thanks, I did wear latex gloves, it seems that the hard skin could cut you if you are not careful. If you use the tin snips to cut away the skin on the sides, like they show on the ky afield video, that would keep you from being cut. I also agree with you TIC about ky afield, it shows every Sat.&Sun. on ch 54 I dvr it.

And Steve we will get that fry going sometime this spring I'll talk to you about it.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

TIC said:


> I also want to give a huge shout out to Kentucky Afield TV. If you are a local sportsman and don't watch this show, you are missing out IMHO. I think it's the best outdoors show on TV. Not only does it highlight some great hunting and fishing opportunities in the Commonwealth, but it also gives you a good understanding of many of the programs your licensing fees support.


Agreed. In fact, I think that KET is a great network all around. It is clear that they have great pride in Kentucky, and want to educate people about its nature and history. I wish Ohio's public television was more like that!

BTW I am definitely down for a fish fry.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

TurtleJugger said:


> When I was a kid. We caught gar on the scioto river while camping. We would try our best to fillet it then cook it over a fire. It was pretty nasty cooked that way. But I might try it again lol


Same here but on the Muskingum. Cooked it in foil on a camp fire with lemon butter like we did our catfish. It was awful, but the water was warm and we had no idea what we were doing in terms of filleting and removing the red meat at the time. Curious now to try it out of cold water and prepared correctly.


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## Cat Mangler (Mar 25, 2012)

sammerguy said:


> That sounds like fun! I cook for a living and would help to catch and cook it.


I'm a cook as well, maybe we can tag team it!

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## greghal (Aug 22, 2013)

Sounds like a plan Sammerguy & Cat Mangler


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