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pickeral question

smokn gramma g
smokn gramma g Posts: 144
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
pickeral season opens this long weekend here, and I plan on catching my limit. I have cooked pickeral on the egg last year but in foil. We have a slot size here(on Lake Nipissing) (live release 15"-25")we have never caught anything over 25", so we usually catch about 13-14" is average, that is tail to nose. By the time my husband has finished filleting them, they are pretty small pieces. Could any one recommend a method other than foil? Foiling fish just tastes steamed to me, and I could do that on my stove.[p]

Comments

  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    smokn gramma g,[p] Cast iron Skillet. Little onion, red peppers and some butter.. When Onions and Peppers are almost done put the fillets, Salt, Pepper in the skillet and cook till done.[p]
  • AlaskanC
    AlaskanC Posts: 1,346
    Gayle - we cook our salmon in foil all the time, but we poke holes in the top of the foil to let the steam out and the smoke in. I don't know anything about the fish you are cooking, but if you want smoke flavor have you tried planking? (I haven't, but lots of people love it)
  • Celtic Wolf,
    omg, that sounds really good! But all my cast irons have handles, do you cook with an opened dome?

  • AlaskanC,
    You have never eaten Pickerel aka... walleye?
    I will try it with holes poked in it, thanks!

  • AlaskanC
    AlaskanC Posts: 1,346
    Gayle - no we dont have those here, but they sure look yummy. I did a search after seeing your post and realized that they were the same thing as walleye. I guess that is something I gotta try one of these days!! :)
  • AlaskanC,
    It is a ... "gotta try"! Pickerel... walleye, you will be hooked! I don't like fish(usually,mostly)! But I love pickerel! might be in the prep, I dont know, just know that I like pickerel even off the frying pan!

  • Newbs
    Newbs Posts: 188
    smokn gramma g,[p]Pickerel is delicious fish. Probably the tastiest freshwater fish that I've ever tried.
    The reason Melissa hasn't heard of or eaten pickerel is because she gets salt water fish more often
    than not living on the Alaskan coast. Walleye/pickerel is freshwater fish found primarily in the Great Lakes basin.
    Its very common for folks that live near the Great Lakes but pretty rare anywhere else.[p]Planked fish is nice. Cedar and maple work well. Never tried alder. Soak the plank for an hour or so. Toss the plank on your grate for a few minutes to heat it up, then flip it and place the pickerel fillets on the hot side. The underside of the plank will scorch while the fillets are protected from the direct heat on top of the plank. The steam coming out of the plank will have that woodsy flavour and with the fillets out in the open (ie not in the foil pouch) they will pick up the smoke nicely. Give it a whirl.
    Bet you like the results.[p]Cheers,[p]John

  • PigsEye
    PigsEye Posts: 21
    smokn gramma g,
    Walleye is my favorite freshwater fish. I have to ask, is pickerel a regional name?

  • Newbs,
    I am going to try that! Will get pics!Trying for the 25" + wish us luck! Wish I was native! then could catch, net, shoot anything!
    i am not, so going for the slot size!![p]Gayle

  • PigsEye,
    pickerel is all I know, just like jack fish (which is all i know is) ... northern pike! just my say.[p]

  • PigsEye
    PigsEye Posts: 21
    You should come down to Arkansas and catch some big ones. The disputed world record came from Greers Ferry Lake.[p]http://www.agfc.com/pdfs/free/walleye_bro.pdf
    [ul][li]big fish[/ul]
  • PigsEye,
    unreal Wow! would love to see that here!

  • PigsEye,
    we are sitting on the lake and have a sturgeon prowling around for the last couple years, he has to be at least 80 -90 lbs. He is a sneaky little bugger! Cant get him. we almost had him with a froggy! took it away!

  • smokn gramma g,
    A Pickeral is not a Walleye.:-)

  • Golfnut
    Golfnut Posts: 144
    Gagetman,
    A Pickerel is from the Pike family and a Walleye is from the Perch family.
    Pike is preety good but are hard to filet because they have those "Y" bones, their also better if you skin them. Walleye are very good almost as good as the best eating fish I've ever had the Yellow Perch.

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,624
    smokn gramma g,
    my 12 innch fry pan fits with the handle, dome closed and works fine. a pickerel here is a chain pickerel, not A WALLEYE, not fun eating til you catch one over 25 inches with all the bones. sweat meat but too boney. do a search on pearch or crappie recipes as well as walleyes, there should be lots out there. i would deep fry them outside on a burner if they were mine.

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    AlaskanC,[p] If you get a chance you need to try Walleye. It is the best fresh water fish. Sadly they are not normally found sound of the Mason-Dixon line.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    FISHLESSMAN,[p]Pickerel and walleye are in fact the same fish. We just know them as pickerel in Canada. The pickerel you know is called grass pike here.[p]Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,624
    Little Steven,
    yeah, i understand it, we make the distinction between pickeral, the chain variety and pike, as pike will ruin some of our landlocked salmon waters, the two cant coexist. illegal stockings keep happening in the maine lakes and its going to slowly kill the fishery. walleys only live in a very small area in newengland as they dont spawn well here. we get some nice white perch that i think tastes very similar to the walleyes, just not as large, 2.75 pounds max

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    fishlessman,[p] our big problem is the cormorants. I don't know if you guys got the zebra mussels that were introduced into the great lakes but they have left many of our lakes very clear. The cormorants, which hunt by sight, came in and are taking all the baitfish. There was talk of a cull but there was an environmentalist protest. Go figure.[p]Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • RhumAndJerk
    RhumAndJerk Posts: 1,506
    Newbs,
    I grew up around Lake Erie and would never eat fish as a child with one excpetion ... Pickerel.
    Everyone always made a distinction between Pickerel, Walleye and Musskie.[p]Just sharing,
    R&J

  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    RhumAndJerk,[p] Walleye are called Walleye because their eyes reflect light. When removed from the water their eyes immediately turn white. Pickerel or full name Chain Pickerel do not have that distinction.[p] Now Muskies are the Barracuda of fresh water. Them babies get big and have enough teeth to make you cringe.
  • onelegchef
    onelegchef Posts: 119
    smokn gramma g,
    If they are the same as walleye, filet, then dredge in water then corn meal, deepfry, temp 365-375, the deep fry hushpuppies and tater toots are french fries. add some coldslaw,ketchup and tarter sauce. Great Eats.
    Bobby-FTW,Tx

  • Newbs
    Newbs Posts: 188
    RhumAndJerk,[p]I'm in Hamilton, right at the western end of Lake Ontario and about an hour's drive from the northeastern shore of Lake Erie.
    Lake Erie perch is tasty but I wouldn't eat much of it these days due to the state of the water. Its getting better but its still polluted. Sad.
    Walleye from the clean northern lakes is a real treat.[p]Cheers,[p]
    John