Great table fish start with a clean fillet. On a striper, cut out the dark red line down the middle, an oil gland that adds a fishy flavor, so the meat stays mild. Egg-wash the fillet, coat it in Italian-seasoned cracker crumbs, and pan-fry in hot olive oil until golden and snow white. Do not overcook. Fish 18 to 22 inches eat best. Trout and kokanee fillets run bright orange-red like salmon. Catch dinner fast-trolling a bright red Junior Trigger Spoon up top.
How do you cook striped bass so it is not fishy?
Cut out the dark red line that runs down the middle of the fillet. Brett Brady calls it an oil gland that can add a strong fishy flavor. Angle a sharp fillet knife toward the middle on both sides, lift the red V out, and the meat stays nice and mild.
What is an easy camp-style striper recipe?
Scramble an egg, coat the fillet in it, then roll it in Italian-seasoned cracker crumbs. Pan-fry in hot olive oil until golden brown, then flip once. Avocado oil or butter also work. The oil should sizzle when the fillet hits it. It takes only a few minutes per side.
How do you know when striper is done?
The meat turns from opaque to snow white and flakes with a fork. The thinner tail section cooks first, so pull it early to keep it from overcooking. Do not overcook the fish or it turns dry and rubbery. Stay right with the pan the whole time.
What size striper eats best?
Fish in the 18 to 22 inch range are some of the best eating. Larger stripers get grainier, much like halibut. One fillet is usually enough for one person, with a second fillet for leftovers. Younger fish also carry less of that dark red meat to trim.
How do you fillet a trout or kokanee?
Find the spine with your knife, turn the blade over, and follow the spine straight down to the tail. Then separate the skin from the meat. Trout and kokanee show bright orange-red meat that looks a lot like salmon and eats just as well.
What do you serve with fried striper?
Keep it simple. A little garlic salt, tartar sauce, or a spiced cocktail sauce all pair well. Brett Brady likes an unsweetened, tangy cocktail sauce, using it like a shrimp dip on the mild white striper meat.
How do you catch trout for the table?
Fast-troll a bright red Junior Trigger Spoon at 1.8 to 2 mph in the top 6 feet when the surface water is warm. Run the spoon clean, not behind a dodger. A few fish makes a fine dinner.
Watch the technique
Catch and cook for trout, kokanee, and stripers FAQ
That dark red line is an oil gland that can add a strong fishy flavor. Cutting it out keeps the meat mild and clean-tasting.
Hot olive oil works well. Avocado oil or butter are fine substitutes. The oil should be hot enough that the fillet sizzles on contact, but not smoking.
Italian-seasoned cracker crumbs after an egg wash. Coat the egg-dipped fillet liberally, then go straight to a hot pan.
Stay with the pan and pull the fish when it turns snow white and flakes with a fork. Cook only a few minutes per side, and take the thinner tail off first.
Bright orange-red, a lot like salmon meat. It cleans up nicely and eats rich.
Fish in the 18 to 22 inch range. Larger fish get grainier, like halibut.
Cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or a little garlic salt. A tangy, unsweetened cocktail sauce works like a shrimp dip on the mild meat.
A bright red junior spoon fast-trolled at 1.8 to 2 mph in the top 6 feet when the surface water is warm. Run it clean, not behind a dodger.
