Tips on Cleaning/Prepping Pike for the table?

[gemcityslayer]

Thank you Wyoutdoors

How many of you guys who fish keyhole keep pike?  Any tips on cleaning / prepping them for the table?

[Hole Tender]

There are some good videos on YouTube. Be patient. Your first time will take some time but it isn't that difficult. If you like pickled fish, just leave the y bone in and cut the filets into bite sized pieces. The bones dissolve. Pickled pike is a pretty tasty snack.

[wyoicenut]

fillet them leaving the skin on, cut out rib bones, then cut into about 5" long pieces. brine overnight 1/2 gallon water-1/2 cup kosher salt-1 cup brown sugar-1/2 teaspoon all spice. then smoke them. y-bones pull out easily after cool down and your eating. smoked northern is great!

[jopes]

Sorry Wyoutdoors I know this is not a report...

How many of you guys who fish keyhole keep pike?  Any tips on cleaning / prepping them for the table?

best video I have seen to date.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM3wAgBmeNU

[msmith1956]

I was shown that method years ago in Canada and forgot how it was done due to lack of northerns to practice on. Then I moved to Pine Haven and couldn't remember how it was done, thanks for refreshing my memory

[wyoutdoors]

Excellent video, thanks jopes!

- wyoutdoors 

[mrotho2002]

Great video that's how I do it except I go electric, makes it real easy for boneless after a little practice and there isn't a lot left behind.  I also agree with the pickled put it on some crackers with butter and great snack I do about twenty lbs a year of it and don't get sick of it plus it can sit in the fridge for quite a while, but other than that deep fry off the back fillet sliced about an inch thick makes great nuggets. I usually split the fish up like that and works pretty well for me. Have a pretty good recipe for the pickled fish if you like just pm me.
Good luck and enjoy?

[fish-kabob]

fillet it out like a bass or blue gill fillet behind the gill and out the tail. now with skin on cut out the ribs then with skin off face belly towards you skin side down  feel the y-bone along it make a slice 1/4 inch down along the top of the y bone then in a j-pattern follow the bone out the toward the dorsal fin using multiple length wise slices. same multiple length wise slices cut on the bottom of the bone straight down... belly still faces your stomach skin side down grabbing  the "y" bone and peel out when done you can get another strip out of the y-bone but it is difficult to do. see there is a "v" in the why bone towards the skin like this <] were this is the why bone < and this is the skin ] cutting multiple slices along the "v" you can get another fillet out of the why bone.  but like said it is time consuming this is why i keep only the bigger pike  like 35 inch plus. any think relay in the 25 -30 inch its hard enough getting the y bones out there and fillets cause there still small fish.. you can use you tube videos and such also look up video's on poor mans lobster when to the cooking part and others when you get the chance...

[Fryinpan]

Great video jopes...thank you for posting.  I love pike they are good eating.

[wood1128]

Great video and recipes, thanks guys.  Cant wait to try it out.

[Wnthunting]

Nice video .. Looks much easier than my way .. And gets most of the meat .. I'll try it like that way soon hopefully 

[esox_xtm]

Jopes' video link is the way I learned to do it in Canada in the '80s. Never looked back. Guy's right, you gotta have the right knife and once you do it a few times it gets easy...

I never soak 'em in anything other than a quick dip in evaporated milk or egg to get some flour or other crunch to stick. Wipe off most of the slime before you start and rinse well, that's all that's required for great eating

[Hunt n Fish]

fillet them leaving the skin on, cut out rib bones, then cut into about 5" long pieces. brine overnight 1/2 gallon water-1/2 cup kosher salt-1 cup brown sugar-1/2 teaspoon all spice. then smoke them. y-bones pull out easily after cool down and your eating. smoked northern is great!

X2.  Smoked some northern I caught in Canada over the summer.  It turned out very good.  I also rinsed with a vinegar/water mix before brining to clean the slime off.

[Kinkyline]

   Slimers are delicious

[camocowboy40]

That video is an excellent way to do it.

[benwyo]

Yes this was the best by far on filleting a northern Thanks Guys.....

[Goodnight]

You have just made my life so much easier!