Bluegills for fertilizer?

[Stvrob]

I would just bury the bluefish whole. No need to even remove the filets!

[ramapojoe]

I'm one of a small group that actually enjoys bluefish so i take the fillets off.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by ramapojoe

I'm one of a small group that actually enjoys bluefish so i take the fillets off.

I have just read it is a good fish to eat.
Why would a person want to waste good food?
What does it taste like?
Is it fishy?


Worth

[Stvrob]

It's kinda oily. The dark meat has a pretty strong taste, But honestly, its not bad for smoking. Usually it's the big ones that taste bad. In general, they aren't a marketable fish. But they are fun to catch, especially those over 10 lbs.
Some claim that their voraciousness has displaced the striped bass. Records kept by early settlers in the Chesapeake bay region don't mention the bluefish, but they do mention how plentiful the rockfish (striped bass) is. For a while, when I fished there alot (25+yrs ago), rockfish where quite scarce, and their was an overabundance of ravenous bluefish. I imagine the situation was similar in the rest of the mid-Atlantic coast.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I have just read it is a good fish to eat.
Why would a person want to waste good food?
What does it taste like?
Is it fishy?


Worth

Bluefish can have that, "fishy" taste. I actually love it in certain recipes if it is absolutely fresh fresh fresh. I mean still twitching in the skillet fresh. But it doesn't freeze well and the quality deteriorates quickly even without freezing.

I used to make a fish stew to die for out of so called "oily" fishes like Bluefish, certain jacks, or large kingfish. The recipe actually needed that type of fish as the seasonings would overpower something like snapper. But you better catch it yourself, put it live directly from the fishing rod into saltwater and ice and cook it the same day!

[Worth1]

Doesn't sound like my kind of fish.
I was made to eat lots and lots of carp growing up caught out of lake Wister in Oklahoma.
Just change two letters in carp and what do you get.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

Native Americans buried the fish in the soil. Fish itself adds nitrogen. I wonder if fish bones add phosphorus like bone meal does? Hmm? Now I wonder if I should go catch fish to bury or compost them?

Both sounds good to me.

[taboule]

Yes it does have an oily taste, but no worse than other oily fishes such as mackrel and sardines. When well prepared it is VERY good.

My tricks to enjoy it at its the tastiest;

1) Bleed is as soon as caught, over the side of the boat, then ice it immediately. Much of the gamey taste flushes out with the blood. Sharp slit under the gills does it quick.

2) Eat only the smaller ones. Once cooked, they should have little of the brown oily fat on its sides.

3) Best grilled over high heat so the oily juices drain off, and you're left with nice fillets. Frying it is the worse IMO.

4) For seasoning, Old Bay goes well with it.

I've had smoked bluefish pate that was simply amazing.

[Stvrob]

And just to reiterate, we are talking about bluefish now, not bluegills (which are delicious no matter what you do with them)

[ramapojoe]

bluegills are good eating also. sweet white meat.
never buried them in the garden but i'd bet it's a good thing.
the ones i catch are so small theyre aint nothing left after i eat them

[Stvrob]

When I was a kid their was an old man who raised hybrid bluegills in his pond. They were well over a pound, almost as big as a dinner plate. They would hit a spinner on most every cast. At first he wouldn't let us fish there but we promised to clip the barbs from our hooks and release them all and he was sometimes ok with that.

[bjbebs]

Hello

As a lifelong gardener and fisherman (50 plus years) I can attest to the value of burying fish in the garden. My garden is amended with tons of horse manure and leaves each fall. All fish entrails are buried about a foot deep alongside plantings.

Yes, the coons do occasionally dig them up. It's simple to rake the hole closed the following morning. They seldom hit the same hole twice.

I will bury about two hundred pounds of fish remains throughout the growing season. All plants will benefit by this practice.

Much of the nutritional value would be lost if the fish remains were composted. The buried remains are totally broken down, other than a few bones, by the time I till in the fall.

I truly can't imagine doing anything else with the remains.

[bjbebs]

I've been burying fish remains for 40 plus years of gardening.Other than horse manure and leaves, the fish provide much needed nutrients in my garden.
Yes, the coons do pay an occasional visit. But it's simple to rake the hole closed again the following morning.
I believe much of the nutritional value would leach through if composted. Burying near plants
provide a slow release of fertilizer. There is no such thing as too much.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Stvrob

It's kinda oily. The dark meat has a pretty strong taste, But honestly, its not bad for smoking. Usually it's the big ones that taste bad. In general, they aren't a marketable fish. But they are fun to catch, especially those over 10 lbs.
Some claim that their voraciousness has displaced the striped bass. Records kept by early settlers in the Chesapeake bay region don't mention the bluefish, but they do mention how plentiful the rockfish (striped bass) is. For a while, when I fished there alot (25+yrs ago), rockfish where quite scarce, and their was an overabundance of ravenous bluefish. I imagine the situation was similar in the rest of the mid-Atlantic coast.

I think Worth was talking about bluegill. One pound is actually large. They are a delicate, tasty white meat fish.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I think Worth was talking about bluegill. One pound is actually large. They are a delicate, tasty white meat fish.

Nope blue fish, I have ate a ton of bluegill one of my favorite fish.
Could bluegill be the next Foo Foo Food?

Those nasty carp that have escaped would make a good fertilizer.


Worth