Sh!thead Delicacy?

Schmick

Schmick

Well-Known Member
R.O.C. (Radio Operator's Certificate)
So my brother has a trailer on Hay Bay and while at a neighbour’s he recently had an opportunity to sample Drum cooked in foil on the barbie along with Pickerel served the same way. While they were obviously completely different experiences, he was surprised at how tasty the Drum was and said the flesh was very similar to a Scallop. I’ve caught my share of them but never once had the slightest inclination to keep and cook em. While they can be fun to catch, I just can’t get past that nasty, dirty old course fish idea. Anybody ever try one?
 
Schmick said:
So my brother has a trailer on Hay Bay and while at a neighbour’s he recently had an opportunity to sample Drum cooked in foil on the barbie along with Pickerel served the same way. While they were obviously completely different experiences, he was surprised at how tasty the Drum was and said the flesh was very similar to a Scallop. I’ve caught my share of them but never once had the slightest inclination to keep and cook em. While they can be fun to catch, I just can’t get past that nasty, dirty old course fish idea. Anybody ever try one?
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I can't bring myself to keep one, but a nice lady and her son took one from me on Monday to go with the bigger one they caught earlier in the day. She told me it tastes like chicken. I told her almost everything tastes like chicken when we just aren't sure what it tastes like.:ROFLMAO:
 
Ive eaten a small one years ago with walleye...breaded and deep fried. A bit different texture but very very similar in taste. Don't think I would eat a big one..
 
Depending on the recipe, coarse fish, even carp, can be very tasty. Countries that aren't as lucky as Canada learn how to make what they have taste very good years ago I was on a trip to China and took a cooking class for local cuisine (the trip I wanted to do to Tibet was cancelled) not even sure what the fish was, but it was closer to the carp family than I would ever consider cooking at home it was delicious flaky, flavourful and none of the disgusting earthy flavors you think carp would have

That being said, nope, I don't keep sheepies. I can be picky between my salmonids and them gold things with the identity confusion: Dore, pickerel, walleye..... however, someone else wants it, by all means I mean, after all, some people eat blue cheese and head cheese.....
 
There is a Canadian company called Thundermist lures which puts out a lot of cooking videos. They have a very good one on a couple of different ways to cook drum. TC
 
My uncles and I sliced one up in Nippissing. Cut out dark meat and fried it and yes the texture is different but with all the cocktails flowing did not taste bad. LOL Wallies and Pike are still the go to.
 
Guy I rented a cottage from on st. Clair last year said he cubes the meat and then couple minutes in boiling water and you have scallop/lobster style meat/taste. Never tried it myself
 
Walter Fishonn said:
Guy I rented a cottage from on st. Clair last year said he cubes the meat and then couple minutes in boiling water and you have scallop/lobster style meat/taste. Never tried it myself
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That's one of the methods the Thundermist guys use. They then dip them in a paprika mix coating. TC
 
So a few years ago we hosted a mixed wedding shower for my niece. The day before we had caught two big sheephead that my challenged nephew was all excited to keep as well as a couple of rainbow. That night I brined the two sheephead and the rainbow to smoke in my electric smoker for the shower the next day. After the fish came out of the smoker I mixed them up and passed platters of it around to everybody telling them it was rainbow trout and "mistry fish." Those who liked smoked fish raved about how good the offering was and couldn't get enough. Had a couple of guys ask for my recipe. So there you go. Having said that, I don't often keep the sheephead unless we have kids fishing with us because they like to see the stones in the head that I will dig out for them. If I do that I will fillet them and deep fry them just the same as perch or pickeral. There is not much that doesn't taste good deep fried. We used to host a wild game supper and would smoke up carp and call it "smoked gold fish" that went over very well. We are very fortunate th have one of the best fisheries in the world right at our door step.
 
They eat them all over the states etc. I don’t target them, but I have kept a few small ones in the past to see why they were so hated. Properly filleted, I would challenge anyone to pick it out of a basket of panko coated fillets. We are so lucky here to have an abundance of the highly sought after game fish that some of us (myself included) have become fish snobs LOL. I have learned over the years to endulge in the tender backstraps/tenderloin, duck breasts and walleye fillets, but don’t overlook those deer shanks, goose legs and less desirable fish. Properly prepared can be some of the best meals!!!
Eat a sheepie once in a while and keep them off my damn leadcore!
 
I have kept the odd one and cooked it different ways. Blackened is the best so far. Like most freshwater fish they are kinda boring, but not objectionable. I always find it strange how some people will decide certain fish are bad but have never actually tried them. To be honest I don't understand the fuss about perch and walleye.

Drum is far better than bass IMO. In fact I believe they are closely related to redfish which is prized in Lousiana.
 
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