Labor Day Weekend

[1stGenSMIB]

I filet them with the scales on, flip the slab over so the meat is up, then slice along the skin to remove. When cutting the slab, I cut up through the skin/scales above the ribcage keeping the gut intact. There's so little meat loss, that it's not worth the time to try to save the rib meat. It's not the most efficient way, but when you have a good mess of fish, it saves time. My average is 2 minutes per fish. I make sure I have plenty of time before I start. House-Autry makes a seafood breading with corn flour and seasonings. I drop them in hot vegetable oil until browned properly. My kids call them perch dippers. We usually mix mayo, a little ketchup, and a splash of hot sauce to dip them into.

That is pretty much how my buddies and I do rockfish. I just wasn't sure if perch were big enough to filet. De-scaling is a PITA. I love grilled fillets, but I will admit to cutting up perfectly good rock fillets and turning them into fried rockfish bites because then my non-fish eating wife will eat them! I am not a big rib meat fan anyway, so if I ever catch some perch, I'll try it this way.
Thanks for the feedback.

 

[PrchJrkr]

That is pretty much how my buddies and I do rockfish. I just wasn't sure if perch were big enough to filet. De-scaling is a PITA. I love grilled fillets, but I will admit to cutting up perfectly good rock fillets and turning them into fried rockfish bites because then my non-fish eating wife will eat them! I am not a big rib meat fan anyway, so if I ever catch some perch, I'll try it this way.
Thanks for the feedback.

It's a real PITA until you get the hang of it, but when you sit down to eat and don't have to pick through bones and skin, it's well worth the trouble. Wifey and kids were not really keen on bones/skin, so this way made them very happy. You'll be surprised at the flavor because they lose most of the fishiness this way. I freeze them in quart bags of water to force all the air out. We feast all winter.