# Pickeral fillets.



## charan

I have gone fishing quite a bit lately and I have caught a few pickerals and would like to know how others cook it. I have tried just frying it with butter and it is good. I have made a batter and deep fried them and it is good that way to, but I would like to find some new ways to cook it. So can anyone else tell me how they cook pickeral fish? Is there some special recipe that you use that is different than the convention way of cooking it? Please share with me how you cook it?


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## kyheirloomer

Like all members of the pike family, pickerel have a row of Y bones along both sides. As a result, they are fileted differently than other fish. And, because pickerel are the smallest members of that family there is proportionately more waste.

To filet any pike, lay the fish on its belly, head towards you. Just behind the gills, cut down to the backbone. Turn the knife flat and cut towards the tail, using the backbone as a guide.

Look down on the fish, and you'll see the tips of the Y bones just outboard of the backbone. Note that they end pretty much at the back of the ribcage.

Cut the filet off each side, keeping the knife outside of the Y bones. The tail can then be fileted like a regular fish.

In short, from each pickerel-pike-musky you get 5 filets. If you're going to skin them, you may want to split the back filet the long ways, so that it lays flat, skin-side down.

Once you have the filets you can use any pike recipe, so long as you have enough total meat. Or check these:

*Neptune's Cover Gourmet Pickerel*
I've never made this. It came off a recipe card distributed by Dominick's supermarket.

2 lb pickerel filets
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/3 cup instand mashed potato powder
1/4 cup fat for frying
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbls chopped parsley
1 tbls chopped green onion

Cut filets into serving-size portions. Add salt and garlic to instant mashed potato powder. Dip fish in potato mixture. Brown fish on both sides in fat. Reduce heat; add remaining ingredients. Simmer in a covered frying pan for 5-10 munutes, until fish is almost cooked. Remove cover for last few minutes of cooking for a crisp coating. Makes 6 servings.

*Baked Pickerel Supreme*

2 lb pickerel filets
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cans (4 oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbls melted fat or oil
1/4 cup rated cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 egg beaten
1 tbls lemon juice
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1 large tomato, cut into 6 slices
1/4 tsp salt
Dash pepper

Skin filets and cut into serving size portions. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer in a well-greased baking dish, 12x8x2 inches.

Cook mushrooms and onion in fat until tender, add parsley. Combine egg and lemon juice. brush fish with egg mixture. Top with crumbs. Arrange tomatoes over crumbs; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread mushroom mixture over tomatoes; sprinklw with cheese.

Bake in moderate oven, 350F, for 30-40 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

*Pike Burgers*

I've had this done with small Northern pike, so it should work with pickerel.

2 lbs skinless small pike
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbls lemon juice
1 tsp minced parsley
6 drops Tabasco sauce
1 tbls minced onion
Bread crumbs
Butter

Grind the fish in a meat grinder on fine setting bones and all. Mix the ground fish with eggs, lemon juice, parsley, Tabasco, onion and enough bread crumbs to form balls that hold together. Shape into patties. Fry patties in hot butter.

Serve with tartar sauce or catsup.

*Crooked Creek Pike*
Again, this should work fine with pickerel so long as the total quantity is the same.

1 1/2 to 2 lbs skinless pike filets
3 tbls cooking oil
1 cup finely chopped cucumber (with skin)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 6-oz can clam/vegetable juice
Pinch of chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbls minced parsley

Butter an ovenproof casserole beg enough to hold the filets in a single layer. Place filets in casserole. In a small skillet, saute cucumber and onion in cooking oil until they are tender, about 7 minutes. Add juice, chili powder, slat and pepper and heat to the boiling point. Pour over the filets, cover casserole and place in a preheated 450F oven for 15-20 minutes until the flilets flake when probed with a fork. Sprinklw with parsley and serve immediately.


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## maryb

Salt, pepper, flour into hot bacon fat for a pan fry is my favorite. I have also pickled smaller northern pike. I leave the Y bones in, same for the rib bones, easy enough to pick around.


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## bobdown

Sorry KYHeirloomer that's not quite right. Pickerel does not have y bones like pike and is quite simple to filet. You can get 2 full filets without having to worry about y bones


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