What's the best way to cut croaker to eat? Cook with bone? Filet?

Its personal preference

My dads never filleted a fish in his life, gut it, scale it, dip it, fry it. He eats fins and all.

I fillet them, and everything else. Now croaker fillets are small, but you can get them good and chrispy.

Eric

I always fillt my croaker, then take the skin off and deep fry them, but I only keep the bigger ones. Filleting the smaller ones isn't worth it.

Of course behead them, gut them, spread along spine, sprinkle on some Tony Cattheret's (sp) salt, drag in corn meal, fry in olive oil. Serve with corn bread bread, steamed cabbage, (i like pinto beans) Kendall Jackson Chardonnay......................................................................
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If you have a smoker try smoking them for flavor before cooking - regardless of how you cook them. Oh Yeah, 99% of all fish I catch I fillet and skin. I hate scaling.

I never really cared for croaker until I started only keeping the big ones alive in my live well. When I clean them at home they are still kicking.

I fillet everything I catch. No bones....... No scaling......

If you fillet and fry them, make sure you fry them meat side down first. When you fry the skin side first they'll curl up ino a ball and make it very difficult.

In my book, fillets win hands down.

you could just take the skin off

I prepare my croaker 1 of 3 ways, listed below in order of frequency of occurrence.

1. Put a 9/0 hook through his lips and send him back out.
2. Cut him in chunks, put 9/0 hook threw a chunk and send him back out.
3. Filleted and fried.

when i skin my hogs their still kickin too!!!!

[quote=martyca,Aug 25 2006, 06:22 PM][quote=Marrdro,Aug 25 2006, 05:23 AM]I never really cared for croaker until I started only keeping the big ones alive in my live well.  When I clean them at home they are still kicking.

I fillet everything I catch.  No bones....... No scaling......
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when i skin my hogs their still kickin too!!!!

[/quote]

Martyca...... Great Name. Martin "Marty" is also my first name. Hunt club calls me Marrdro (not sure what the heck that means).

I like to smoke them, pretty easy to do if you have a smoker. I brine them, whole (guts and head gone) in a gallon zip lock bag. Brine consists of water, sea salt, brown sugar and garlic (freshly chopped). Spray down the grates on the smoker good with PAM or oil and sit back, enjoy 3-4 beverages over an hour or two and walla, primo eating......

I cooked some up tonight...... Fillet croaker left skin on marinated in Zesty Italian, spinkle on some lemon peper and grill skin side down until meat flakes. The hardest thing was getting off the grill. Cooked both croaker and spade the same way great tasting.....

Carefully filet each side leaving the skin and scales on. Start behind the gill plate and proceed to the tail. Turn over (scales down) and start at the head end, cutting slices through about 3/4" wide, top to bottom. When you get down to where the remaining piece height is the same as the length start cutting from the front to the rear, about 3/4 inch on the front and going to the point on the tail (basically a long skinny triangle. Next, get a 1/0 long shank hook (with a rod, reel, 20-30 lb test braided line and a sinker that will hold bottom). Hook the largest end of the filet strip, throw over the side and then drift hoping a nice flounder will bite! Enjoy the croaker!!!

Had them last year for the first time in VA. We caught them while flat fishing. So I cooked them the same way as I cooked the Fluke.

Filet, skin, dip in batter, and fry until golden brown.

Basic batter is Flour, Old Bay Seasoning, enough beer to make it batter. You don’t want the batter to thick or thin so play with the thickness one filet at a time while drinking the beer until you reach the desired texture on the filets or you're drunk. I serve fish like this with sweet potato fries and people can’t get enough.

The local guys I fed in VA didn’t know they ate Croakers until after they were done. They were shocked they actually ate and liked them.

Personally I wasn’t aware these were considered garbage fish and thought they tasted great. I'll be eating them again this year when I take my kids back down.

Scale em, cut the heads off, gut em. Cut three slits in each side (top to bottom). Corn meal and fry in 350 degree oil until dark brown. Salt. Eat.

Best recipe, 7/0 hook through the lips, drink a beer, wait for a cobia to eat him........cooking time varies......

The bigger the better. I always fillet mine and use a combo of Itialian dressing and Old Bay on them. Try soaking them in milk for about an hour and the put the dressing on. Grill the fillets and they taste great.

Mike

Harley, I'm not sure croakers are considered trash fish as much as they are just taken for granted because they are so plentiful. The big ones are good eating and the smaller ones are great bait. Nothing wrong with that. One of the best days fishing I ever had was when my dad and I got into a school of 2 to 3 lb croakers off of the carrier piers in Norfolk. On light tackle they put up quite a battle. And if you happen to have a boatload of kids, nothing keeps them occupied like a school of nice sized croakers. Tight lines.

do you know of an easier way of taking the skin off besides using pliers and pulling it off. what is the difference from scaling it and taking the skin off
thanks

Lay the fillet on your board skin side down.
Use a sharp knife to cut the skin off. Takes a little practice, but very worthwhile.

Cut off head, gut, season, throw on grill with skin and scales. Cook til brown/black. Skin w/ scales comes right off. Fork meat off skeleton on to plate. Very easy when doing fish in quantity. Meat taste just like any other more difficult method would taste. I did'nt think much of it the first time I seen it done, but it is right tasty.