How to Clean & Cook WHOLE Panfish Step-By-Step

[@Payne33]

Top fin you can eat down to the solid spikes too tail and top fin are my favorite parts. Definitely have to season your breading more whole opposed to fillets too. Great job guys !

[@calebwistad]

Yes. I agree. Breading needs to have more flavor when doing it this way. Also salting as you go is helpful!

[@Hoots210]

Great content!! Cant wait to share some fish with my son as he gets older

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! Nothing better than fresh fish.

[@xSeadoggerx]

Instead of the egg wash, try using just plain yellow mustard, one time and then dredge it in your dry mix. You’ll love it.

[@calebwistad]

I’ll try it!

[@yirmiyahu1397]

​​@@calebwistad a little bit of mustard goes a long way though. Lol I personally just put a few drops on each side of my fish, and rub it in. Also, thank you for the video, man 👍

[@jojopr21]

Definitely using scissors next time! I like to season the fish before dredging.

[@FASKY2788]

Great job, Wisconsin Brother! Very good videos and I've learned a bunch! THANX! I see in comments below that the scored (whole) fish were favored. I'd never heard of that before. Nice!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks so much!

[@roysaari3028]

Informative video and taste trial!!! You have a great helper, too!!! Thanks a ton!!!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@paulhuskey9188]

Watching you cook those fish made me hungry

[@calebwistad]

Me too. 😂

[@Payne33]

That’s a nice perch. I prefer sun fish and blue gills over the rest of the panners great vids man. Very detailed ✊🏾

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@addamoliver]

can’t wait to try it

[@calebwistad]

I think you’ll like it!

[@ARCSTREAMS]

good idea using the shears on that hard breast plate bone i also use them on catfish fins and kitchen scissors for the blues etc

[@calebwistad]

Yes. Makes the job easier, not to mention safer!

[@FASKY2788]

"GET HOOKED UP"! YES!

[@calebwistad]

👍

[@ARCSTREAMS]

good kid you got there cute lil guy and that would have been my choice too ,perch is good tasting fish but blue has the right texture between all 3 not too firm not too flaky and still tasty ,i used to hate catching sunfish but my mother loves them so big ones are a good keep along with blues but crappies are easiest to scale i can do it with my thumb nail

[@calebwistad]

Thanks. He’s a great kid. And yes, they are all good in their own way.

[@lordvader6512]

Cool video. Would be interested in the idea of dry brining the fish before cooking. I do this with steak all the time.

[@calebwistad]

That is an interesting thought. Might have to look into that!

[@Thathersheyguy]

I’ve never seen anyone scale a fish holding the tail. I grew up on the lake and I fished pretty much everyday and if we skinned fish it was sacrilege lol. I always put the head right into my left palm and scaled from the tail to my left hand

[@calebwistad]

Gotcha. Might be easier that way!

[@HC-kr8rs]

I do the same.

[@daleley7645]

Great comparison!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! This was a fun video to make.

[@basskirkster]

Take that water with all the scales and fish parts and dump into a garden bed.

[@calebwistad]

Great idea! Good fertilizer.

[@basskirkster]

@@calebwistad my wife loves it when I bring dinner home from the lake. Delicious food and then great fertilizer for the tomatoes. Win win all the way around 👍

[@lesreed8803]

Celery salt onion powder garlic powder black pepper a small pinch of Cayenne Red pepper for the heat on the back of your throat if you prefer that❤🤤🍳🤔🧂👨🏼‍🍳👨🏾‍🍳

[@calebwistad]

I like this one.

[@takagienterprises]

I love them all.

[@calebwistad]

They are all good!

[@davidshepherd-m2j]

after you clean them soak the fish in salt ware an hour or two the bread and fry them and season tthe breading then fry and they are amazing

[@calebwistad]

Yes. A salt water bath does help to get the blood out.

[@bluegillbum3165]

I have a tumbler scaler . I shuck my perch . I don't fillet walleye anymore either.

[@calebwistad]

That would be a handy gadget to have.

[@lesreed8803]

10:47 ☺️☺️☺️ season the cornmeal dad 🥲

[@calebwistad]

Good idea! I do now.

[@kennethmadore867]

i use perch for fish chowders.

[@calebwistad]

I really need to try a fish chowder some time. You have a good recipe?

[@johngardener1156]

Hey, where can I buy one of these cool scalers? Could someone please let me know?

[@calebwistad]

Link should be in the description.

[@lesreed8803]

🤫🤔🤐 Celery salt lemon pepper garlic powder onion powder black pepper small amount of regular thought for flavor Secret recipe 😏dude

[@calebwistad]

Lemon pepper is a good addition.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

aha here is that vid with the water method to scale lol but its not completely idealistic as its difficult to see and you still need to do those small spots you mentioned and have to kinda hold it out of water for that unless you got a big tub but still difficult to do that while keeping it under water

[@calebwistad]

You got it!

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@calebwistad yup :) i had to add some extra to the comment not sure you read it

[@calebwistad]

@@ARCSTREAMS you are right. There has to be a better way.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@calebwistad my father one time was thinking of making some kind of rotary brush attachment to his power drill for scaling fish lol or maybe a dremel tool with similar attachment ,power fillet knife and power scaling lol

[@josephblow3581]

I've honestly never seen anyone filet a bluegill. my pops and grand dad always ate them right of the bone. the women of the family usually pulled the meat off with a fork in one big piece. thanks for the video

[@calebwistad]

That’s what I’m hearing a lot of people say. We grew up filleting them up here in Wisconsin. Nobody eats them whole.

[@josephblow3581]

how about catfish? whole or always fillet in Wisconsin?

[@calebwistad]

@@josephblow3581 always fillet those too!

[@josephblow3581]

@@calebwistad eating fish whole must be a southern thing. I'll bee watching your channel more.

[@Mountain_Valley_Sky]

When you come from a lineage of ancestors who catch & eat fish as much as for survival, as a recreational meal... & especially smaller fish... you are taught eat them whole. I prefer to fillet, when I have enough to eat. Has anyone ever use a 'pressure cooker' on pan fish? I hear the bones get even more dissolved inside the meat tissue.

[@faruqali869]

What did you do with all the row from the perch???

[@calebwistad]

I pitched them. I’ve tried roe before and don’t care for it.

[@russellt9059]

Where did you get the shears

[@calebwistad]

I think I left a link in the description.

[@ripteye]

I have done it this way with crappie and bluegill, I still prefer fillets they just taste better in my opinion, If I have to work around bones it ruins the meal for me.

[@calebwistad]

Yeah. It’s not for everybody. Not me every time either, but it’s fun for something different!

[@YosemiteScubaDiver]

What oil do you use?

[@calebwistad]

Typically canola.

[@lesreed8803]

6:51 good job brother good job baby hey baby we just need to tighten up on our technique we need to season that meat that raw meat on the inside of the fish on the outside on both sides and then we dredge in season cornmeal or flour and you second time dreaded dreaded into the season cornmeal 🤤🍳🤔 Then you fry it always season the 🧂 always at least sprinkle some salt on the inside of the cavity for flavor

[@calebwistad]

👍

[@MrBoogerblood]

My friend and I when younger would basically do this assembly line style with bluegill. He would scale them with a spoon. I would cut the head off, then cut from anal opening towards head, then scoop out guts. I really like bluegill deep-fried in pancake batter. The sweetness compliments the bluegill meat.

[@calebwistad]

Nice. Bluegill is one of the best!

[@kirk1234ish]

No need to add salt after cooking if you mix salt and black pepper to taste in the bread crumbs

[@calebwistad]

I did season the breading like I normally would for fillets but I found you need more seasoning to cover the flavor using this method.

[@Payne33]

Those scissors are dangerous!!!!! Much easier than with my knife from the looks

[@calebwistad]

Nah, been using scissors for years and never had any close calls. 😆

[@Payne33]

@@calebwistad lol I meant more so for the fish 😂 they cut super well. I would invest in a pair for sure. Definitely seem to do way better than my knife for gutting for sure

[@skillz1855]

Man I'm jealous

[@calebwistad]

It was sooo good!

[@Za86m]

Not to be a bummer, but isn't it kind of a pain to pick around the bones?

[@calebwistad]

Depends on if it’s worth the flavor and extra moist meat to you or not. The meat actually lifts off the bones pretty easily.

[@pamelamackin1165]

Where is the seasoning in these videos

[@calebwistad]

Seasoning is in the breading.

[@toddlocke6061]

Perch is going to be hard to scale

[@calebwistad]

And you are correct. It was the most difficult one out of the three.

[@hooligangeneral300]

Only problem with that is the belly meat and the silver is where all the mercury and heavy metals are found in fish.

[@calebwistad]

True. I’d worry about it more on larger, older fish.

[@jonnorton9720]

And what about the scored side verses the unscored side…which tasted better..you forget all about that?😮

[@calebwistad]

Well shoot, so I did! The scored side was better imo.

[@MrSurfangler]

A nice tip on scaling and removing slime of a fish is to use your water pressure jet . Its great for taking off fish scales and slime! I think it would be a better step in your pike cleaning videos than dumping the pike in vinegar. If I had to batter try the fish anyways then I would take the skin off the perch. like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppu3nXmthsdqepI

[@calebwistad]

Good tips!

[@rubbnsmoke]

NOTHING works better for scaling fish than a tablespoon...NOTHING. Pretty slick idea submerging the fish under water to keep the scales from flying all over, seems like they'd be pretty hard to hold onto securely while scaling.. But if you use a tablespoon and angle the spoon down towards the fish the cup of the spoon keeps the scales from flying all over. WHY wouldn't you head them before gutting? And what fisherman bothers with gloves? We LOVE the smell of fish on our hands after cleaning fish. The best breading for fish is "Andy's". We prefer the "Red". ALL the other fish breadings contain GMO's. No eggwash needed, just rinse your fish and bread, then fry. Scoring only helps dry the meat out during frying.

[@calebwistad]

Spoon works great too. I guess as far as the gutting goes, we always gutted trout before we removed the heads or we cooked them with the heads on so that’s just the way I’ve always done it. I’ve been ridiculed for wearing gloves before too. I don’t mind the smell or touching fish at all but I hate having all the guts and blood dried to my hands after a long cleaning session. Takes forever to scrub off. So while you are still at the sink scrubbing I’m already sitting down having a beer. 😂 and yes, Andy’s is good stuff too.

[@rubbnsmoke]

@@calebwistad I've NEVER bothered scaling trout or salmon.

[@docdreezy]

Why not season the meat first. Not heavy

[@calebwistad]

That might help. Tends to dry out fillets but maybe wouldn’t on a whole fish.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

yeah perch are the worst fish on the planet to scale lol that why i just fillet em but i prefer eating them whole with the skin so i found a great easy method ,,just have your mother do it haha

[@calebwistad]

Bahahaha. That’s the best method for any fish! 😆

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@calebwistad right!!! lmao

[@lesreed8803]

A NORMAL DINNER SPOON ✨🥄✨ THE SIDE OF THE SPOON THAT ENTERS YOUR MOUTH YOUR THUMB FROM THE HANDLE TO THE PART THAT ENTERS YOUR MOUTH THE BACKSIDE OF THE SPOON WITH YOUR THUMB USING THE SIDE OF THE SPOON TO REMOVE THE REHYDRATED FISH SCALES GREAT TECHNIQUE TO HOLD THE FISH UNDERWATER A SMALL FEW INCHES OF WATER IN MY SINK I USED TO SCALE AWAY OR ON NEWSPAPER TO BE CRUMPLED UP IN DISCARDED AFTER THE CLEANING PROCESS OR AT WALMART THEY HAVE A FISH SCALER ALUMINUM VERY EFFECTIVE ALUMINUM FISH SCALER

[@calebwistad]

YES. A SPOON WORKS TOO.

[@52klog]

Nope looks like too much work, I will stick with fillets.

[@calebwistad]

I definitely will fillet them most of the time. It’s fun and different to do it this one once in a while though.