Page 7 - May/June 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma
P. 7
WILD ABOUT COOKING
THE BEST BIGMOUTH BASS RECIPE
By Josehf Murchison, Cooking
All good fishermen keep at least one meal from every fishing trip. This is the best largemouth bass (or smallmouth bass) recipe you
will ever try. On my last fishing trip, I kept two 5-pound bass about 20 inches long.
Filleting: For perfect boneless
fillets, start by cutting the skin at CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
the anal vent along the belly to the
head. Remove the innards.
Make the second cut up the side of
the fish, behind the fin and gill, to the
top of the back. Then make the third
cut alongside the spine to the tail. Fold
the loose side of the fish back over
the tail to reveal a fillet of meat with
rib bones.
Hold the fish’s head, then pass the
knife between the skin and meat,
working outward from the tail. This
produces a skinless fillet. Finally, remove the ribcage hours. When the water is bloody, rinse the fillets with
from the bottom of the fillet to make it boneless. clean, cold water and soak some more. Repeat until the
Repeat the same cuts on the other side of the fish to water no longer gets bloody. Then cut the fillets into
get the second fillet. single servings. If you feel any lateral line bones, cut out
Leaching: Before cooking, leach the blood out of the a thin strip to remove them.
fillets to prevent tainting the flavor of the fish. Refrig- Preparing: Cooking fish fillets only takes about 10
erate the fillets in a bowl of water and check every few minutes from preheat to cooked.
INGREDIENTS FILLET DIAGRAM
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika
Butter
Griddle or large frying pan. (I like an electric
griddle for its regulated even heat.)
DIRECTIONS
• Preheat electric griddle or pan to 450 degrees.
• Place fillets on a plate or tray. Sprinkle fillets with
black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
• When griddle is hot, add butter and spread CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
it around.
• Place fillets spiced side down on griddle and
sprinkle the unspiced side of fillets with black
pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
• When fillets go from opaque to white halfway
through, flip fillets to put uncooked side down.
• When fillets go from opaque to white all the way
through, the fillets are cooked. This should only
take about two minutes per side.
MAY/JUNE 2022 5
4/18/2022 2:43:46 PM
OutdoorOK-2022-May-June-1.indd 5 4/18/2022 2:43:46 PM
OutdoorOK-2022-May-June-1.indd 5