CTFishTalk.com: Porgy Millstone 5/5 - Connecticut Saltwater Reports ( CT Saltwater Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

went out for flounder today but ended up with some jumbo porgies. I tried a new way of cooking them today that was simple and they came out fabulous. just carefully took ALL the guts out and rinsed them well. rubbed them down with kosher salt. dumped a little extra in the belly cavity. dumped some dry thyme in there as well. spread a little olive oil on a baking sheet. broiled both sides well and baked for an additional 15 minutes or so. i have always fileted these fish... i never knew what i was missing.

JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

NICE!!!
Should've called me, I wasn't doing anything today. Wink

Did you scale the fishes?
Funny you caught porgies today, just a few minutes ago I was rooting around in the freezer and found some porgy fillets.-LOL

JC

jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

i have finals on tuesday then a break till summer courses... pm me im sure we can work something out. no i did not scale the fish. after they were cooked the skin just peeled off from the meat. and talk about meat!!! the head the face the fins... all these years i have been throwing that shit away. you just want to make sure you get ALL the insides out of there. should be clean but for the eyes and the gills. rinse all the slime off the inside and outside. i doubt a frozen porgy would taste as good. have you ever done a "salt pack" ?

JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

Salt pack=no I have not.

Have you ever tried bluefish "cheeks"?
Like you said, "I used to throw that shit away"

JC

BassRican · Joined: 21 Mar 2011 Posts: 116 Location: Meriden

Mmmm! Beer battered bluefish cheeks! Porgies taste great. Just clean them well, especially the blood in the cavity. For some reason, most fish taste great fried.
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jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

im a cheek freak. the porgy cheeks were great. the best ive had was the head of a 23 lbs black drum when i was living down in texas. i cooked it like i do poor man's lobster, the piece of meat that comes off of each side was as big as a fist. so jimichanga... a salt pack is more or less what i did with the scup but you make a paste with kosher salt and egg whites, some herbs in the belly then you cover the whole thing in the paste like it was frying batter. you bake it and the salt makes a shell around the fish it boils in its own juices.. crack it open and eat it. great with less scaley fish or scaled fish

jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

bassrican thank you yes ive noticed that even a little bit of blood left in makes the whole thing taste irony. either of you ever tried bleeding a bluefish? someone told me to to do it but i haven't gotten around to trying it. theres another group that swears by soaking the filets in milk, haven't done that either

JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

Bleeding a bluefish makes 2 things...

1.Makes the bluefish much more palatable

2.Makes quite a mess.

But I strongly suggest trying it.

JC

JimiChanga · Joined: 04 Mar 2012 Posts: 195 Location: Meriden

SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi,

Using milk is an old guide/hunters trick used for decades.

Whole milk is used to marinate venison/game, and fish.
Has the following attributes:

1.) A marinate is primarily an acid to break down meat fibers and make it tender. -> All the rest is just flavoring.
Whole milk is lactic acid.

2.) Whole milk adds some butter fat to dry lean meats/venison/game, and fish.

3.) Whole milk has a drawing effect that draws out the gammy taste out of game and heavy tasting fish.
When milk is reduced to whey -> Was used as an old remedy poltice to draw infection out of wounds.

My grandfather (butcher) taught my dad and I to use whole milk to marinate our steaks, veal, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, and game overnight before cooking or on the BBQ
Then use dry seasoning rubs or favorite sauce to flavor the meat prior to cooking.

Try it ! .......You'll be amazed how flavorful and tender your meat will be Exclamation

SeaDog1

fishfinder · Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1672 Location: Naugatuck, Ct.

Yeah, Im not a huge fish eater but I soaked some Bluefish for 2 days last year and it really made it as good as striper for me.
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JustinSolak · Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 245 Location: East Hartford, CT

i naver soak my bluefish.

i very rarely bleed em, gut em, or take any special care.

i just get em on ice.

but then again, i appreciate the gaminess of the fish, as well as the "overwhelming" flavor. dont ask why, but i do. lotta people dont like it.

i never marinaded my bluefish in milk either, or any other odd tactic that i've heard about (mayonnaise, for instance)

egg wash and some bread crumbs, straight into the olive oil all the way. fool proof for any fish, for anyone with a frying pan.

but if we wanna start talkin recipes... oh i gots recipes Wink

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Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I'm with you, Justin. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to fish. It should taste like fish! I don't even put soy sauce or wasabi on sushi. Oily fish like mackerel and bluefish taste great when the skin is scored, and it's simply salted and grilled, especially over charcoal. And most fish fillets taste great when salted, dusted with Wondra flour, and pan fried in butter. Very Happy

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jimbojonez · Joined: 04 Feb 2012 Posts: 295 Location: Berlin/Kensington

looking forward to the ct fish talk cookbook! well jens and gents, i bossed my finals today and i'm gonna be fishing till the reels fall off this next week or two... psyched for doormat season!!! gonna be making a trip to Point Judith if anyone wants to hit up a fluke party boat i'll keep yall posted on the date.

SAP284 · Joined: 07 Jun 2011 Posts: 655 Location: Central, CT

Which tide did you fish for the porgies?
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Steve