Bluegill/sunfish recipes?

[Rosalind]

I just caught a bunch of bluegill/sunfish/whatever you call those smallish dark greeny-gray fish with pale blue around the gills and occasionally reddish-orange spots on their sides. Everyone I know calls them something different, and every state fishing license I ever had says, catch as many as you want. Common as dirt.

Anyway, I seem to catch a bunch of 'em every weekend I go fishing. Never get any bass big enough to keep

but I sure do get a lot of these darn bluegills. This lot is gonna get filleted and coated in cornmeal beer batter and pan-fried, but if anyone else has any other recipes, I'd love to hear 'em!

Someday I'll catch a trout or a bass...someday...

 

[silkiechicken]

I want one! You should put it in a tub and send it this way! I had a pet sunfish once. It some how ended up in the feeder fish bin at the pet store as an inch long baby. It died a few months ago about 9 inches long. His name was meat fish and I've been searching feeder tanks to get a new one

Edit:

How about steamed with a drizzle of soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, shreded ginger and garlic? mmm

 

[Rosalind]

silkiechicken, I think if you filled a bucket with water and left it outside long enough, a sunfish would turn up

I never heard of any fish and game commission that particularly cared what happened to them, so I bet if you visited a local lake with a net, no one would notice or care.

They are kinda headless now. I don't think they'd make good pets at this point...

Sounds like a great recipe though! I will definitely try it, I've always got fresh ginger, garlic and soy sauce.

 

[Cara]

I've never known anyone to eat them, there's barely enough meat on them to be able to fillet them.

 

[Carolina Chicken Man]

We called any fish in that family a "bream" I've eaten many of them. For eating, they are much better than bass, but not as good as crappie. Although, I've never eaten them any other way than you have already described, breaded and fried>

 

[Alaska animal lover]

We used to catch Blue gills all the time when I lived in Indiana! It brings back memories. I used to call them Blue Girls when I was little.

I was to small to see how we cooked them though. I will have to ask my mom.

 

[zatsdeb]

my hubby is a big fisherman! He filets everything, and we dip the fish in breading made from andys seasoning mixed with a little regular pancake mix.
Old bay seasoning to taste!

 

[silkiechicken]

The one I had as a pet wasn't as meaty as a salmon, but sure looked fatter than smelt! I like bony little fish with smooth meat. I hear they are similar to tilapia.

 

[Rosalind]

Yeah, by themselves they don't taste like much. You have to add some seasoning. They suck up batter really well though, they ended up being nearly fritters.

 

[Cara]

We must have runts here! We always throw them back, and use bait that specifically will not attract them!