Taste and texture of pike, lake ontario

[TommyBoy1971]

Hey there fellow hard water fishers. Just have a question or two. I have caught pike my whole life, but for whatever reason just put them back and never even thought of eating them, maybe from what i had heard or whatever. Anyway took my 13 year old daughter out and latched onto a 28 inch fatty. Decided to keep it and try to eat it. I figured out how to get the bones out and beer battered it. While cooking it it smelled like clams, or oysters or something, when we ate it, my son and I thought it had a clam like flavor with a scallop like texture. I dont know if we were really hungry and imagining it, there were some yellow perch mixed in as well. So what I am wondering is if pike target fresh water clams, or muscles or something, or maybe it really was our imaginations? It was a slimey, slimey, did i say SLIMEY mess to clean. Afterdealing with all that slime i thought i better seperate it from the perch. But I have to say, at the time, it was very awesome to eat! Any feedback would be useful.
 Keep your line wet!

[gearheart]

There are numerous videos on youtube showing how to debone pike and when finished they are delicious.  Slime? you bet.  They aren't nicknamed snot rockets for nothing.

[TommyBoy1971]

Yes, i got the bones out no problem, just curious about the clam flavor/ smell....

[schmidty]

I don't know if they taste like clam, since I have never tried clam.  But, pike definitely tastes more "fishy" than walleye or perch. 

Personally, I prefer pike to walleye or perch for that very reason.  I think they are just more flavorful.  But I have many friends who say they don't eat pike because it tastes "too fishy".  To which I say, "Shouldn't fish taste fishy?"     

[Nightbird]

You mention all the slime. Were you very careful to keep it off the meat? That can give a bad taste. Slime washes off hands  with vinegar and if I get some on the meat I give it a quick soak in same.

[smeltbuster]

I read a post somewhere on the shanty,about mixing 1pt. white vinegar w/ 5 pts. water,And rinsing the pike in it.They said it removes the slime.I hav'nt tried it yet,but I plan to.As for the flavor,all the pike I catch come out of 1 large lake w/depths that go to 108'.The flesh is mild & delicious.They feed on smelt,gills,bass,etc., Ive eaten a few from a lk. in Ontario that had an iodine taste,didnt much care for that,had some walleye that was the same way,from the same lake.I did not catch them,so I dont know how the handling after the catch went.Never had one that tasted like clams or scallops,but that sounds good to me!

[TommyBoy1971]

Yep kept the slime off the fish. I was just surprised on how good it tasted, may focus 50/50 between pike and perch from now on. I will have to try that viniger thing. I used my electric fillet knife, so it wasnt that big of a deal. Once i got the skin off the filletthe meat wasnt slimey. I was thinking of maybe of pressure washing it or something. Anyway the beer battered was awesome, might try just soaking it in butter milk and rolling in corn meal and flour next time. Thanks for the info all!

[marcus]

Never noticed a clam flavor but I think pike is as good as walleye and perch. I may waste a bit of meat the way I fillet it but I get no bones .

[fl18guy]

how did you cook it.I usually deep fry the filets after they are cut up into little strips. They are just as good as perch IMO.

[icecold]

Cold water pike are excellent to eat.  I stay away from strong tasting fish but we eat the northerns right along woth the perch and other panfish.
I've heard of making them into patties after grinding them up with the bones and I have heard of salting them.  Never tried either but some of the old timers say that was the primary way they were prepared long ago.
I too am an oldtimer but those guys are really old

[pipeboy98]

well I can't say I've ever seen them with oysters or clams...but after having filleted and eaten hundreds of them...I can honestly say that pike will eat just about everything.  I have fillet a 30" and found a 10" perch,  many crayfish, whole sunfish, one time I kept popping flags and the shiner would be gone...when I caught one with all 3 of my shiners inside him.  I've even found leaders and jigs inside those bad boys!  nothing would surprise me I guess!

[dgiovagnoli]

I like to cook them up in pork fat and serve them with crackers and cheese.   They eat well and i think they have a little more fish taste but in a good way. 

[captain54]

I myself threw many back,my thinking was" they got to taste like they smell, fishy" Well turns out they are really just as good (almost as good eyes) fillet it right no bones,dip in eggwash,roll in a breading and fry.I also made pike patties with old bay seasoning,that are very good.

[pipeboy98]

let the pike sit on the ice for a little bit, roll it around in the snow, then use a knife and scrape the slime off, it works great...as for the taste, thats why alot of guys call it poor mans lobster

I thought that eelpout was poor mans lobster

[mjmeyer]

My favorite fish to eat. Firm white mild tasting flesh.

[mpike2day]

I thought that eelpout was poor mans lobster

I thought boiled laketrout chunks were? 

[pipeboy98]

I think we're going to need a ruling....hehehe

[swampbuckster]

I'm thinking if your a poor man, many fish will qualify as lobster!!

[Chris Raymond]

I'm thinking if your a poor man, many fish will qualify as lobster!!

Winner, winner, lobster dinner.