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[Gillies]

A nice piece of Cod will do me, or some fried Gurnard or Megrim. Oh and fresh Herring cooked any way at all (preferabily smoked) I'm getting hungry now.

 

If you want some Haddock corydoras come up here to the Western Isles of Scotland and you will fill your freezer from the boat. I am sick of catching them, we have a limit of 15 of them in competitions, and this year there are just loads of them, nice ones in the 2lbs to 5lbs bracket.

 

Carl, maybe take a small lobster pot or something with you and stick it out over night where you are not seen, and see what you get in the morning? Crabs, Prawns, Lobsters? you never know!

 

Gillies

[LeicesterCarl]

I've never really got into crab... I wouldn't know what sorts to eat and what sorts to ignore, being a leicester-based landlocked landlubber! I don't suppose Phil's Aquarium site has Crab identification too, has it? I must go and have a look-see...

[Grant]

You may be looking for a while if you want to get enough prawns to eat from rockpools!

 

I have caught two lobsters on my rod and line from St Catherine's, and you can feasibly catch and bring up spider crabs from there as well, but beware of the minimum size limits.

 

You should be able to catch Gurnards from Gorey Pier during the day, and mackeral and pollack from the Harbour.

[Kieran Hanrahan]

Dogfish is very tasty and deserves its nickname of "rock salmon". As a small shark it has no bones and telling teh kids they are eating a shark only whets their appetite (and introducees them to fish). The problem is skinning it! Best method I have come across is to pour boiling water on the skin and scrape it off. It falls away easily. Under the skin there is a gelatinous layer that can be left on during cooking or better still removed. It has a flaky salmon coloured flesh... and no bones. Delicious. Not only that but if you served it and told people it was salmon, damn few would notice the difference.

 

Can't imagine eating a wrasse mind - they must be absolutely buggers to skin with scales like plate armour and those very nasty spines too!

 

All the flatfish are tasty, and some ray are quite nice but require to be hung for a few days in order to remove the bitter taste...

 

All gurnards are fabulous to est, especially Tubs (well they are the biggest, a 6.6 lbs was landed last week in Belmullet), grilled with lemon but you must check that the fish is not infested with a sea worm. Quite unsightly and unpleasant.

 

Bass, regardless of size, IMHO, should be returned alive, as they are extremely slow growing and slow to reproduce... albeit in parts of the UK the population is very healthy.

 

If you are out boat fishing, or get lucky from the shore in a spot with storng currents, Ling make excellent eating and are very close to Cod.

 

Damn, all this is making me hungry Better stop typing and get the rigs together for the weekend :cool:

[Grant]

Dont think you will get any cod down here as its a bit warm, but dogfish yes!

 

Another method for skinning is to cut off the fins, gut it, and then take a fillet off.

 

You can then use the filleting knife to cut the skin off from the inside of the fillet, and while there is a little wastage, its much easier!

 

empathise with the bass comments, although I do confess to taking some for the table.

[wightman]

Hi Mate

 

Cod, haddock, plaice, flounder (made into fish cakes), bream, BASS, whiting, Dogfish (rock salmon) mackerel have all gone from the sea to me plate. You really should try a dogfish, as previously state no bones to speak of & sweet white meat.

 

The only thing I probaly not eat is Pout or conger

[LeicesterCarl]

Thanks all... now all I need to do is catch some of the buggers! Hopefully all me technical bits will work and I'll be able to keep you informed as to progress as the fortnight passes by!

[LeicesterCarl]

Oh and I've printed out a few posts from here for cooking reference should the need arise!

 

Cheers all - here's to a bit, nay, a lot of rod bending action for all of us over the next couple of weeks... particularly those on Jersey!

 

[ 17. July 2003, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: LeicesterCarl ]

[spasor]

Carl.

If you catch pollack, cut a few gill covers. It lets blood bleed out of the flesh. You then get a white meat instead of a brownish colour?

Most flatties are improved by cutting a small incision at the base of the tail, but leave the head on until you get home. Especially plaice.

Ling are best frozen for a few days. Don`t ask me why, they just are!

Mackeral are best cooked within hours of capture as long as they`ve been kept cold. Otherwise, best deep frozen for bait.

Paul.

[Jim Roper]

Nobody has mentioned Squid (Quiddle to Portlanders), the antidote to every known form of contraceptive, by all accounts. Seaborn Viagra!!

Anybody who doesn't fancy Wrasse, has never caught one big enough. Scales! what about Bass and Bream?

Just admit it. It's their colour that puts you off, isn't it. Just shut your eyes when you eat it.

People just aren't hungry these days.