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Crappie recipes, panfish recipes for Baked, Simmered, Fried, Broiled, Poached, and Grilled Crappie
Crappie, related to largemouth bass and bluegill, is the biggest non-bass in the sunfish family. They have highly compressed, diamond-shaped deep bodies, seemingly small mouths, and better vision than bluegill, possibly even better than bass. They grow 8-12 inches long and occasionally larger. There are 2 kinds of crappie subspecies: Black and White crappies, which can most easily be distinguished from one another by the number of spines in the front dorsal fin. The white crappie has 5 or 6 spines and the black has 7 or 8 spines.
White Crappie is the larger, silvery in color, ranging from silvery-white on the belly to a silvery-green or even dark green on the back; it has dark vertical bars, and a larger back hump than the black crappie.
Black Crappie is smaller but deeper bodied, and is covered with irregular dark spots, lack vertical bars. The coloration of the black crappie is a pale silvery white on the sides and belly and dark green on a back.
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Crappie recipes:
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Crappie, Sunfish family
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Other names for crappie are papermouths, strawberry bass, specks, speckled perch, calico bass (in New England), sac-a-lait (in southern Louisiana) and Oswego bass.
The average weight is about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds, but they can reach more than 5 pounds. Both species of crappie are favorite freshwater fish among anglers of all ages. They are strong fighters, beautiful fish and delicious as well. They have a very meaty taste without being too fishy. Tastes good grilled or fried.
Crappie is a delicious freshwater fish with a light taste that is best fried or cooked quickly on the stove top. It has sweet, white, flaky flesh.
Best Cooking:
Crappie can be used in almost any recipe that calls for lean white flesh fish with a sweet meaty taste. Baking, broiling or sautéing are all good choices for this fish. Crappie is best fried or cooked quickly on the stove top.
How to Clean Crappie:
Scale the fish with a fish scaler or dull knife. While holding the fish with one hand, use the tool to remove all scales. You must run the scaler or knife from tail to head in order to get the scales off. The skin should be smooth when all scales are gone. Cut the fish's head off. Make the cut at the back of the fish's gills. Cut through at this point. Cut from the belly back to the vent, avoiding all organs. Remove all organs, saving the fish roe if any is found. Cut off the tail and fins. Rinse the fish and place on ice immediately.
How to Fillet a Crappie:
Lay crappie on its side and make a slit from the top of the fish to the bottom, right behind the gill section. Cut fish halfway through the fish, don't cut the fish head off. On the top portion of the fish where you made your first cut, make a 1-inch slit across the center of the back. Hold the tail and start slicing through the upper portion of the meat of the crappie, using the center bone as your guide. Flip the side of the fish that you have just cut through; over to the where the meat portion is now facing you, but is still attached to the fish. Turn the fish in the other direction and start at the tail section of meat, and slip your knife between the meat and the outer skin. Carefully slide the knife through the meat until you have reached the end where the meat was attached to the head. The fillet of meat should now be free from the fish. Turn the fish over on the other side and repeat this process. If there is some outer skin left on your meat, carefully slip your knife under it and cut it off.
Nutrition Value:
Amount per Serving size 3 oz: Calories 103, Calories from Fat 16 %, Total Fat 1.8g, Saturated Fat 0g, Sodium 0mg, Total Carbohydrate 0g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Protein 20.3g.
Substitutes for Crappie:
Other mild flavored fish with a firm texture that can be substituted for Blackfish in many recipes are:
Largemouth Bass,
Smallmouth Bass,
Bluegill.
Notes:
Crappie are highly regarded game fishes and are often considered to be among the best tasting freshwater fish. They are popular as food and prized by sport fishermen.
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