Crappie is a type of fish native to North America. This freshwater fish originally thrived in the eastern US. However, crappie is now found across the US and even Canada. As a result, crappie is a very popular game fish with anglers in North America. Angling enthusiasts find crappie fishing to be very enjoyable since they put up a fair amount of resistance.
Is Crappie Good To Eat?
Crappie is great to eat prepared in many different ways. As a white meat freshwater fish, crappie has a mild flavor suitable for any cooking method.
Most people prefer pan-fried crappie but don’t forget poached, baked, grilled, or smoked. In the end, crappie can be a very versatile fish.
What Does What Does Crappie Taste Like?
Crappie tastes really good. In fact, its delicious great taste is one of the prime reasons for its high popularity with North American anglers.
The slightly sweet-tasting white meat is succulent and very tasty. The taste is more on the subtle side. So people with a preference for stronger taste who enjoys the bluegill, for instance, could find its taste to be a bit bland.
But even if you like a stronger taste, you can spice it up by adding enough seasoning to give it more zest. Although it may not score as high as the bluegill in the taste department, it is bigger in size. But even then, crappie is still smaller than other sorts of panfish. You will have to catch a couple to feed your family and friends.
Is Crappie Good for You?
Crappie is perfectly safe for eating. This includes both the white and black varieties. Not only is it safe, but it is also very delicious. With their quality fat and protein, crappie boasts really good nutritional value.
One thing to note, though, is that how you prepare crappie can make a large difference in nutritional value. My people like to season, bread, and fry their crappie fillets, which can add fat and carbs.
What Is the Best Way to Clean and Cut Crappie?
After you are done for the day and hauled in your catch, you will want to enjoy a delicious mouthwatering crappy meal.
Cleaning and filleting crappie is not too hard. You can do it easily, even with little to no experience. All you need is a sharp knife and very basic anatomy knowledge.
To fillet the crappie, you will first have to put it on a clean cutting board. The fish should be in a horizontal position for easier filleting and cutting. If you are right-handed, then keep the tail towards your right hand. But if you are left-handed, keep the fish so that its tail is closer to your dominant left hand.
If you don’t have a cutting board, you can place it on any surface as long as it is smooth and clean.
Start cutting just behind its gills. Do this by inserting the knife tip between the pectoral fin and the back of the gill plate. Now start cutting gently into its gills towards the head. Keep cutting till the knife hits the backbone. Do not cut any further into the backbone. Keeping the backbone intact is much better since it will help you with cutting and cooking.
The backbone can serve as a guide so that you can carve along it to fillet the fish with ease.
Keeping the knife in the same place, you must now turn it so that it is horizontal. Twist the knife so that the cutting edge is now pointing towards the tail.
You may have realized that it is now time to cut along the backbone towards the tail to fillet the fish. So the purpose of the initial incision was to bring the knife into position for carving along the backbone. The knife edge should be at a slightly downward angle so that you don’t move away from the backbone while cutting the fish.
Start cutting gently so that the blade reaches the tail. Hold the head firmly while doing this so that the fish remains in one spot. Simply push the blade to make the long cut. Sawing action is not necessary.
You will be able to feel the knife moving over the ribs as you cut along the backbone. You will want to hold down the flap of meat (that you are cutting) close to the head so that the cut is smooth.
Turn over the fillet so that it lies flat on the cutting surface, with the white meat facing you. Now cut off the remaining skin at the tail so that the fillet breaks free. Keep the blade at a slight downwards angle so that the fillet has as much meat as possible.
You can keep the skin on if you like. This is good especially for frying since the skin tastes delicious and crispy.
You will notice that their ribcage is still attached close to the head side. Using the tip of the knife, cut off the ribcage carefully so that no meat is wasted.
The fillet is now deboned, and it will have a V shape.
Repeat the steps outlined above to cut the fillet on the other side.
Keep the fillets in saltwater ice in a cooler so that they remain fresh.
How To Prepare Crappie?
You can fry or grill crappie.
You can make good old tasty fish fry simply by breading the fillets and dropping them in hot oil to fry. Cooking this way is simple, and the outcome is delicious. Fried fish is a hot favorite the world over.
To fry easily and to impart amazing taste and texture, you can use Louisiana fish fry products.
To grill crappie hassle-free, you should have the following ingredients.
- 1 lemon, halved
- black pepper
- salt
- olive oil
- fillets from 4 crappies
- 3 to 4 minced garlic cloves
- half cup cilantro, chopped fine
- zest of one lime
Mix lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and cilantro in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to make the gremolata. Keep in refrigerator.
Apply olive oil to the crappie fillets and season them using salt and pepper.
Now grill the fillets on high heat for a few minutes until the flesh flakes easily and the skin is crispy.
Keep the grilled crappie on a tray and drizzle the gremolata over it.
Tips For Smoking Crappie
As s big fan of smoked fish, I like to give my crappie a short trip in a Big Chief Electric Smoker. You can do this with little preparation or go full out with an overnight rest in a seasoned brine.
When smoking your crappie, a few tips to keep in mind is always to rinse and dry your brined fish. Lightly sprinkle additional seasoning on your crappie for that extra level of flavor.
Finally, only add smoke to your fish during the first hour of your smoking process. If you continue to add smoke, your fish could become bitter, it is ok to eat mild fish, but bitter fish will be unedible.
Check out our smoking website for How to Smoke White Fish
Conclusion
Crappie is a delicious, clean-tasting little white fish that you will enjoy if you keep a few things in mind. While it is mild and will need seasoning, try not to overdo the seasoning.
Because of crappie’s small size, it cooks fast, so don’t overcook it. Finally, never over-salt your crappie; you can always add a dash of salt when you are done cooking.
