IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Northern Pike => Topic started by: grumpymoe on Nov 25, 2004, 09:54 AM
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i posted this on MFF....and thought there might be some members who havent seen or tried boneless pike...so here is the steps to follow to get enjoyable and tasty filets....Grump (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_024.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_026.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_027.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_028.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_029.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_030.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_031.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_032.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_033.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_034.jpg) basically, all you do is remove the filet.......cut out the rib cage the same as any other fish.......at the lateral line is the Y bone...it extends outward to the edge of the filet.....average bone is about 1/4 and this is the depth to make your first cut straight down...dont cut through....with a sharp knife you now cut outward but not through to the top.....next cut is where you can feel the sharp ybones.....another cut outward and what you end up removing is a strip of meat in the shape of a Y...containing ALL the bones....resulting in one piece of delectable northern filet...enjoy....Grump
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Great pictures Grump-gotta try that next time.I've read about that a hundred times but,never did get the idea.I think now I finally got it--after 35+ yrs. of fishing I've still got lots to learn.My wife and I usually only cook pike when we have lots of time to eat it-picking out those pesky bones...this looks great. Thanks
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Tombo i tried it using grumps pics last night and it was a snap very easy with his pics!!
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Moe - Thanks for reposting it on Ice Shanty, now that MFF is slowing down. I tried your method with a limit of pike I got early this fall, and only have a small bag of boneless pike fillets left, we've eaten the rest! Very clear photos too, did Mountainmama do the photography?
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Monophil......Mountain mama supervised the workers....this is the culprit that took the pics....Big Pelican.... ;D ;D...Grump (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v128/grumpymoe/Picture_051.jpg)
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Rainbow trout can be filleted the exact same way as pike for boneless fillets!!
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I see you've got all the best condiments too! Pres Choice everything and :D
(http://www.sharemation.com/caretaker/sleemans.jpg)
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Just one question for you pike guys i noticed the flesh was quite red I'm thinking i should have bled the fish out on the ice would that have helped the meat still tasted quite good and i didn't have any bones :o
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grump, your method does work, however after trying both I like this method better.
I fillet the fish as usuall ,I usually cut the length in half,and fry it up. Lay the fillet on your plate, locate the lateral line, and locate the top or shoulder this is the thick part of the fillet.The lat. line is very obvious on a pike it's basically down the middle. Now split the fillet on the laterall line. Eat everything bellow this line its bone free. Now for the top part, take your fork split the meat about 1/2 inch above the lateral line. All the Y bones are here, simply pluck out the exposed bones, set them aside on a paper towel beside your plate, now eat some more. Works for me.
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I have heard about doing that but never have tried it before. I will have to give it a shot this year. I discovered a good way that I found a little easier for picking bones that works for me. I cut the northern into steaks like salmon leaving the skin and bones on. That method seems to work well and it really keeps the meat from drying out when you bake or broil it.With some butter and lemon pepper. Oh! Im getting a craving!
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I have heard about doing that but never have tried it before. I will have to give it a shot this year. I discovered a good way that I found a little easier for picking bones that works for me. I cut the northern into steaks like salmon leaving the skin and bones on. That method seems to work well and it really keeps the meat from drying out when you bake or broil it.With some butter and lemon pepper. Oh! Im getting a craving!
Stop by the shanty sometime and I'll show you how to do it. It's pretty easy once you learn how. You know where to find me. ;)
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you guys got that website again. The instructions are left out on this forum.
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Method works great.....I don't know what it is, but there is something about the smell of pike that turns me off. Any other fish or game I have cleaned, no problem.....but these fish stink! I love to eat pike, but it is a struggle to fillet them cause of the smell....any suggestions?
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Ash....take a minute the next time and wipe your fresh fish down with a paper towel moistened in water and vinegar...it removes the mucous coating...if you choose not to do this...try transporting your northerns in newspaper....it gets very sticky trying to unpeel the paper before fileting, but it does help....some northerns can get quite an odor that depends on their diet...i have caught some that feed alot on freshwater shrimp....wheeeeeeeeee w!!!!....it also helps if you avoid cutting open the stomach contents....either way....they are very tasty...Grump :-X
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yes....1/4 to 1/2 cup in about a gallon of water.....works well....Grump
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I learned this trick from my great uncle several years ago. After you catch one of those perfect eating size hammer handles, 1 1/2 - 2lbs, roll them up in a small section of the newspaper. What I added to the trick was puting a binder over the head and tail to keep the newspaper on. Then we would put the northern on the floor of the fish house under the bunk. The floor stays cold and it keeps them from freezing and the newpaper absorbs most of the slime. The northern can't do much flopping around either.
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Awesome guys thanks, I'll roll them in newspaper and just before I fillet them I'll givem a good shot of vinegar.
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Can you pin bone a pike like you can with a salmon or trout with needlenose pliers or is it an entirely different structure?
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thats a great question.......i have never tried deboning salmon even though i occassionaly eat them.....trout are different but alot easier to filet boneless.....next one i get, i will take some pics and post......pulling them out with needlenose pliers seems a bit tedious...Grump :P
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Awesome pictures and info, Thanks guys that is what this site is for. Really helpful, left a psot for Germ have not checked it yet.
Has anyone every pureed the fish and made pancakes from them bones included. Been told that blending them up crushs the bones???
Looking for new ways to cook a great catching fish.
Water & Vinegar really work,. Like to bring in the fish slimmy for the guys who weigh em in a year long contest I am in. Kinda funny in my view.
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after you fillet the pike like a normal fish (with the Y bones still in) run them through a meat grinder with a hamburger blade. the grinder works well, after grinding check for bones incase any didnt get ground up. add some bread crumbs for a binder to keep things together. makes excellent pike sandwiches. i thing a blender would do just what you said is puree, turning the fish into a protien shake. food processer might work just dont over blend.
craig
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very good video on pike filleting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1pwb8NzoMI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1pwb8NzoMI)
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yea its tricky to do but once you learn its one of the best skills for an ice fsherman to have