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Preparing Northern Pike So It Doesn't Suck

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Beaverjack

01/06/2011 05:44AM

Anyone have a secret recipe for making northies less of a letdown when you're hungry and they're the only thing biting?

Tony

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canoe212

01/06/2011 07:28AM

Have someone else clean and cook them. Everything tastes better when some one else made it. ;o)

If you can earn it, why did He die?

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BigZig

01/06/2011 10:23AM

I will wrap the gutted northern in aluminum foil. You can add seasonings of choice before wrapping it up. Place on fire grate over coals for about 5-7 minutes per side. You'll be able to hear it cooking. Open up the foil and if the fish doesn't pull apart easily it is not done - cook some more. Once the fish is done you can pull off the cooked fish from the bones and skin very easily. Easy to prepare and clean-up too!

overthehill posted this one back in 2007 - substitute northern for carp.
overthehill 05/14/2007 10:01PM
My Grandfather used to share this recipe with newcomers around fire. We loved it. Take large carp and place on pine shelving/sheeting board (1x8 or 1x12) . Place on fire. In 5-10 min. flip board and fish. Char both side of both until juices run out. Remove from fire,let cool a bit ,then throw fish to coons and EAT THE BOARD! HA HA HO HO. Could'nt resist. It was a "Grampa Joke" as we used to say. Actually, Granny would remove "mud vein" and prepare something edible, but not my favorite. Guess it wont work so well on stove, but glad fire is subdued. Pray for Rain and People's safety. OTH

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Bannock

01/06/2011 10:59AM

The best way to have it is pickled. It's as good (or better) than herring. The pickling disolves all the bones. Of course that is something for home and not while camping.

I'd say cook it like any other fish and pick a lot of bones.

Bannock

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Old Hoosier

01/06/2011 11:25AM

While I personally prefer walleye, you can make pike a very close second.

Learn how to do the "5 fillet method" to eliminate almost all bones (a thread exists on this site - or Google it) and then broil them over a camp fire covered with Zataran's fish seasoning. Very simple, no bones, minimal weight to pack, and close to walleye quality.

Good eating!

Old Hoosier

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gutmon

01/06/2011 07:13PM

SnotRockets are my favorite fish to eat. Fillet boneless, dredge in flour, pepper, thyme, and fry in butter flavored Crisco or peanut oil till just golden brown and flesh flakes. Yumm.

"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, but that they know so much that just ain't so." Mark Twain

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kanoes

01/06/2011 07:18PM

id eat northern over walleye any day.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

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lars54

01/06/2011 07:21PM

nothing better than baked northern with a little lemon pepper

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myceliaman

01/07/2011 05:50PM

Gd humor bigzig thanx for the chuckle I'm a big fan of old bad humor. My gramps was a big pickler in his day. It was a standing joke amongst us that his pickling partner and beer drinking buddy Bob Blanchete would keep anything with 2 eyes and a tail. You would catch a little hammer handle and before you could get it off the hook you'd hear one of the old men say does it have 2 eyes and a tail if so its a pickler. I must say Bobs pickled pike was quite tasty.

I like coconuts because when you break them open it reminds me of women lying in the sun. And if I had my way there be coconuts for everyone "Widespread Panic"

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The Lorax

01/09/2011 12:59PM

quote gutmon: "SnotRockets are my favorite fish to eat. Fillet boneless, dredge in flour, pepper, thyme, and fry in butter flavored Crisco or peanut oil till just golden brown and flesh flakes. Yumm."

This!

I love the smell of silnylon in the morning. It smells like........victory!

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Amok

01/09/2011 01:08PM

Nothing wrong with frying up some northern. Just a bit boney, is all. Unless you know how to fillet them 'boneless'. I've seen it done but haven't tried it. I certainly don't know how to tell anybody how to do it. haha

Trust, but verify. The Lord will provide !!!!

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gutmon

01/09/2011 02:18PM

quote Amok: "Nothing wrong with frying up some northern. Just a bit boney, is all. Unless you know how to fillet them 'boneless'. I've seen it done but haven't tried it. I certainly don't know how to tell anybody how to do it. haha"
here's how

Filleting Northern Pike

"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, but that they know so much that just ain't so." Mark Twain

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mooseplums

01/09/2011 04:42PM

I like to eat at least one pike a year. While not my favorite fish, it is not because of the flavor. It's the slime, and the smell of the fish while filleting. After that's out of the way, I'm fine with it. Good flavored fish.

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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mjmkjun

01/10/2011 06:37PM

quote mooseplums: "...It's the slime, and the smell of the fish while filleting...."
Jeezzz. Don't know if I want have a go at it now. never eaten pike (or walleye). It has an odd smell when cooking?

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BigZig

01/10/2011 09:24PM

quote mjmkjun: "quote mooseplums: "...It's the slime, and the smell of the fish while filleting...."
Jeezzz. Don't know if I want have a go at it now. never eaten pike (or walleye). It has an odd smell when cooking?"
The smell while cooking is pleasing. Fish have a protective 'slime' over their skin/scales. The Northern Pike has an excessive amount compared to other fish. I am not sure what the biological function of it is for - maybe helps it moves through the water, fight disease, etc.

You won't be dissappointed catching a northern pike!

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snakecharmer

01/10/2011 09:31PM

Hahaha! Snot rockets...that's a very good description for them.

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after"
~ Henry David Thoreau

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Amok

01/10/2011 09:39PM

quote mjmkjun: "quote mooseplums: "...
It's the slime, and the smell of the fish while filleting...."
Jeezzz. Don't know if I want have a go at it now. never eaten pike (or walleye). It has an odd smell when cooking?"
yeah. a real bummer. Smells and tastes like FISH! hahaha.

Trust, but verify. The Lord will provide !!!!

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marsonite

01/11/2011 05:28AM

quote Beaverjack: "Anyone have a secret recipe for making northies less of a letdown when you're hungry and they're the only thing biting?"
Why are they a letdown?

If it's Y bones, I have a low tech method. Fillet as usual, and then as you are eating it, cut the piece lengthwise and pull out the line of Y bones. Easy as can be. If you have a kid, give them the piece next to the tail. No bones in that.

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mooseplums

01/11/2011 03:11PM

quote snakecharmer: "Hahaha! Snot rockets...that's a very good description for them."
"Ya but they taste good"

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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KevinL

01/11/2011 04:44PM

quote kanoes: "id eat northern over walleye any day."
Don't know if i'd go that far, but it sure beats this

KevinL

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TriTodd

01/11/2011 05:02PM

I went on youtube and found a video that shows you how to fillet a Northern Pike. Walleye, too! I fillet mine just like this and works perfect for me. I've showed other campers how to do this and they find it easy as well. Northern is a great fish to eat. And you always catch them.How to fillet a northern pike. How to fillet a Walleye.

Life is about being outside enjoying God's world...

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griswold

01/13/2011 09:21AM

This thread should be renamed "Preparing Northern Pike ". Until then I must defend the taste of pike. Anyone who has tasted BW pike knows there's only one difference between a northern and walleye...the NORTHERN taste better.
Reasons why I enjoy eating northern beyond taste: 1) Eating sized northerns are easier to catch. 2) It pains me to see someone keep a >23" walleye to eat when they've caught numerous 29" northern throughout the day. 3)I don't eat trophy fish; I consider walleye's to be a trophy at 23" and northern's at 36". 4) I've lost many lures to northern's while fishing for walleye so when I can hang a northern from a stringer I feel redeemed.

Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling.~Thoreau

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overthehill

01/13/2011 07:52PM

I like the taste of Northern, (I fry with cornmeal dry breading like I usually prepare any other species.....they are just tricky to clean.

Not to Hurry-Not to Worry

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AndySG

01/15/2011 12:57PM

Another vote for Northern over Walleye. Heck, I even prefer SM Bass to Walleye. For a true taste test, grill a fresh piece of each species without any seasoning or breading, and see which one has the best flavor. Walleye lovers may be surprised.

Sincerely yours, Andy

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Savage Voyageur

01/16/2011 09:48AM

Tritodd beat me to the YouTube on how the fillet the Y bones out, great video. As far as the cooking, you need to use a good breading with Butter flavored Crisco. We cook the Pike in a cast iron fry pan over the fire and they come out very nice.

"So many lakes, so little time."

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Beaverjack

01/20/2011 06:41AM

I guess the frying with flavored oils and heavy breading is the key (besides thorough deboning). I try to grill or pan fry with only a little light oil, lemon juice and seasonings, mainly for health reasons. Pike never turns out as tasty as other species. Cod is another fish that doesn't hold up to this approach. Cod is best baked or breaded and deep fried in my book. Trout, salmon and bass seem to turn out best for me. I'll try the light breading thing and see how it turns out.

Tony

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gutmon

01/20/2011 08:34PM

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to eat the small ones. A 2-3 pound Nortski cooks up better and tastes better than the big ones do.

"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, but that they know so much that just ain't so." Mark Twain

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Nigal

02/07/2011 06:03AM

I like mine boneless and fried. Personally I think it would be hard to throw bass, walleye and pike fillets together and be able to tell the difference between them.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -Bilbo Baggins

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Amok

02/08/2011 06:01PM

quote Nigal: "I like mine boneless and fried. Personally I think it would be hard to throw bass, walleye and pike fillets together and be able to tell the difference between them. "
I could tell you they are different but I probably couldn't tell you which was which. I haven't refined my fish palate that far yet.

Trust, but verify. The Lord will provide !!!!

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fishfry

02/09/2011 04:08PM

Northern Pike, the best fish in the water and on the plate. Make sure the fillet is rinsed very well, until it feels squeaky clean. Pike have a softer meat with more moisture, there for cook the fillet a little longer, don't use butter which soaks into the meat leaving it feeling mushing, use olive oil, very little olive oil, it does not soak into the meat leaving you with a dryer fillet. I cook our fillets on foil over coals on top of the fire grate. Here is the seasoning that I use, Enjoy.

1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

Blend all ingredients together. Sprinkle on according to taste.

It's not the speed, but the grace in which you arrive.

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Boarstalker

03/14/2011 09:28AM

I see lots of recipes and spices and cooking methods here on this discussion. But nothing about how to have (unless I missed it) the best tasting fish you can possibly serve up.

I keep all my fish alive and then cut a couple gill rakers so that the fish bleeds out completely. No blood in the meat when it comes time to fillet.

I bleed all my snapper and tuna and mackerel out and the difference in taste is astounding. Truly amazing.

Anyone ever try it on your northern fish?

Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children. -- Native American Proverb

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fishfry

03/14/2011 09:45PM

Boarstalker > Wouldn't filleting them while still alive do the same thing as cutting the gill plates??? There is no blood in the meat after it is washed clean. The fish bleeds out when it's throat is cut.

It's not the speed, but the grace in which you arrive.

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BearBrown

03/15/2011 12:24AM

quote Boarstalker: "I see lots of recipes and spices and cooking methods here on this discussion. But nothing about how to have (unless I missed it) the best tasting fish you can possibly serve up.

I keep all my fish alive and then cut a couple gill rakers so that the fish bleeds out completely. No blood in the meat when it comes time to fillet.

I bleed all my snapper and tuna and mackerel out and the difference in taste is astounding. Truly amazing.

Anyone ever try it on your northern fish?"
This might make them taste better, for some reason I do not know. But it also seems cruel to me. Most of the fish I keep are killed instantly (with a strong bash on the head or a knife to that area). The process is quick but kind of brutal but about as humane as possible.

Richard "Bear" Brown----- "I would rather give someone one photograph they can't live without than one hundred they can live with." anonymous

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wetcanoedog

03/15/2011 12:27AM

a fishing buddy made a glaze from the honey packs we got at KFC on the way up and soy sauce packs he brought along that came with a take out Chinese dinner.it was one of the few times i ever thought Pike tasted good enough to make a full meal out of.

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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Boarstalker

03/15/2011 08:48AM

quote fishfry: "Boarstalker > Wouldn't filleting them while still alive do the same thing as cutting the gill plates??? There is no blood in the meat after it is washed clean. The fish bleeds out when it's throat is cut."
Fishfry....actually, filleting them does not bleed them. Cutting a gill raker while the fish is still alive allows the heart to pump out all the blood. Filleting does not accomplish this.

While it may seem cruel, the fish expires fairly quickly and is not jumping around, it just lays there and bleeds out.

Our beef cattle here in Texas are bled before slaughter for the same reason. A search on bleeding fish will reveal the many positives for this practice.

Try it just once (on fish, not the cattle) and you'll be convinced.

Sensitive subject I acknowledge so apologies to anyone who may disagree.

Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children. -- Native American Proverb

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bobbwca

03/15/2011 10:45AM

quote kanoes: "id eat northern over walleye any day."
I agree!

Bob

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