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eating coarse/game fish

N

Nick Hodgkinson

Senior Member
thinking back to the grayling thread i admitted that where graying are plentiful i am quite happy to take a couple of fish per day for the table as they are lovely fayre

i see nothing wrong as we are more than happy to take trout/salmon to eat

over the years i have eaten most coarse fish - but without doubt the worst ever was a chub

carp i find are pretty bland and need a lot of herbs

perch are one of my favourites - pan fried fillets are superb and very popular in rural France - and i do not take any UK perch - the fillets i get are from France

Wels catfish - a bit tough and rubbery in texture that really needs long slow stewing again with herbs - ''kittens'are fine pan fried as fillets

pike - lovely but oh so many bones even after being professionally filleted and pin bones removed - best hot smoked

eels - oh just the thought makes me get a warm feeling - smoked eel is absolutely my favourite fish of all time - but its bloody expensive

i buy from the UK and Netherlands from sustainable suppliers - the farmed versions are a poor shadow of the wild fish - same as salmon

now, i have never tried bream or roach (god forbid) but have seen them for sale in the Victoria Centre indoor market in Nottingham - so someone likes them?

gudgeon are lovely pan fried after coating in flour - just like whitebait

and on various venues the Signal crayfish has been caught by my friend who has a licence - fabulous with garlic/chilli flakes
 
Interesting, Nick.
The only coarse fish I've tried are Grayling and Pike I caught myself and zander in France.
I didn't particularly like the Grayling and Pike, just bland,imo, but the zander was ok, even though it was done in red wine, which was a bit odd!
I do quite a bit of sea fishing, and much prefer virtually any marine fish to freshwater fish, with the exception of Salmon and Sea Trout, which I like.
Must try Perch, though.
Oh, I forgot about eel, did try one i caught years ago in the smoker. That was really good.
 
thanks Ben

i forgot Zander - bloody lovely

had it in Sweden/Baltic and loved it

oh sea fish - i love them - Dover sole being a favourite

and i love all shellfish from Razor Clams to Lobsters - did i mention Oysters?

and Bluefin Tuna in Japan - nothing comes close hence the prices

one thing i will never try is Japanese Fugu - puffer fish - you must have to be mad??

one fish to try Barramundi - from Oz but used to be farmed in the New Forest -think they went but but was fabulous
 
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This thread is bound to wind up those who are fishermen :rolleyes:
 
Have eaten zander a few times in Austria, it's ok I suppose, clearly very popular over there and other parts of Europe.

A French family I used to stay with in my youth used to regularly put some Perch on the bbc. It's lovely I recall - I do remember the look of total bemusement on the face of my host as I slipped back a 1lb Perch I had just had on a mepps. It hadn't occurred to me that we were fishing for the pot.

Have tried carp in eastern Europe, it was a bit disappointing I thought, very 'earthy' tasting, especially considered it was a valued eating fish historically, and the reason why the monks brought it over to our shores.

I once put some roach on the bbq whilst holidaying in France - not a culinary experience I'd be a rush to repeat tbh.

Don't have a issue with a few grayling being taken for the pot each season where it is sustainable to do so.
 
When in Feldberg, former East Germany, visiting my daughter in laws parents, her mother , who is a chef in a local upmarket hotel /restaurant, prepared Wels, Hecht (Pike ) and Zander fillets, they are all locally sourced from the many lakes in the area by licenced professional fishermen.
They were absolutley delish !

David.
 
Paul Whiteing said:
This thread is bound to wind up those who are fishermen :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

not quite sure about the 'fishermen' comment?

fishermen catch fish - historically to eat

what upsets a lot of normal people is that we catch fish for our pleasure (or worse in match fishing for money) - they think its wrong to 'hurt/stress' a fish or any creature for human pleasure - BUT i'd guess 90%+ have no problems with catching and eating a fish?

think about it maybe?
 
No problems with taking fish to eat, certainly fish for the table when in Florida and have taken trout in the UK. If I could catch a grayling big enough to qualify under club rules I would take it.
 
Andrew Burt said:
I think most are just staying out of the conversation as there are many elephants in that room
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many year ago i ate 'elephant' in Africa

tasted like 'meat'

also ate Hippo -'like meat', lol

why cannot adults address a simple question of eating fish you catch?

BUT cod and chips from the 'shop' is OK?

BTW - how many elephants can you fit in a room - what size is said room?
 
Predatory/game fish always seem to taste better than traditional coarse fish which always seem muddy.And yes whilst fishing in India i caught a purple coloured double figure Barbel,the guides called it a pink carp,but it was a Barbel. It went up the bank and was taken back to the camp to be eaten by the guides. After a couple of weeks of just eating Chicken we asked them to bring down some for us ,yep Barbel taste very muddy. The next day we fished for Murrel (a large Indian predatory Snakehead) they were excellent and were cooked like Scampi but tasted better.
 
Nick Hodgkinson said:
eels - oh just the thought makes me get a warm feeling - smoked eel is absolutely my favourite fish of all time - but its bloody expensive

i buy from the UK and Netherlands from sustainable suppliers - the farmed versions are a poor shadow of the wild fish - same as salmon
Click to expand...

The European eel is on the red list as critically endangered so please explain how any supplier of eels is sustainable??

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60344/45833138
 
Nick Hodgkinson said:
many year ago i ate 'elephant' in Africa

tasted like 'meat'

also ate Hippo -'like meat', lol

why cannot adults address a simple question of eating fish you catch?

BUT cod and chips from the 'shop' is OK?

BTW - how many elephants can you fit in a room - what size is said room?
Click to expand...

Who said chip shop cod was OK? It wasn't me, it depends where the cod comes from, North Sea sea is extremely depleted. Chances are you will never know the source for sure from a chippie. To much of our fish, indeed the worlds fish is fished for unsustainably. I do actually look for MSC certification or where possible use the MCS guide.

I've ate a lot of coarse fish mostly pike and zander which I thought were great, last coarse fish I ate were bleak that my local indian cooked for me. Personally now I believe there is more than enough predation for our native freshwater stocks to contend with and unlike the other creatures that prey on the fish I have a conscious choice and can easily choose something else to eat.

I reckon I could fish a few venues out on my own let alone if all and sundry had a go or are you proposing quotas lol?

The biggest problem is where does it end and who decides enough is enough? Why should people not commercially fish for coarse fish? I've seen several shoals of chub cleared out by nightlines and illegal netting is common now but I cannot see one rule for one and one rule for someone else so should it be legal?

IMO just because a club or bylaws have not banned does not make it fine ongoing or certain places allowed to be a free for all. I go coarse fishing simply to enjoy the fishing as do most on here. Eating coarse fish is I believe an unnecessary and dangerous road to go down as the potential for mission creep is a risk not worth taking and the thought of having to fish managed waters fills me with horror.
 
Stephen Cotton said:
The European eel is on the red list as critically endangered so please explain how any supplier of eels is sustainable??

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60344/45833138
Click to expand...


just read more about sustainable fisheries?

eg Loch Neagh in Ireland? - they stock farm raised elvers

very much what has gone on In Scotland with the atlantic salmon - The District Fishery Boards used funds from the 'levy' on salmon fisheries to build hatcheries and release smolts to supplement the natural stock

sustainable means rules are applied to each river/fishery - the EA issues licences to many eel fisheries in the UK

heck they cannot be too endangered when all UK pike bait suppliers sell eel sections?
 
Andrew Burt said:
Who said chip shop cod was OK? It wasn't me, it depends where the cod comes from, North Sea sea is extremely depleted. Chances are you will never know the source for sure from a chippie. To much of our fish, indeed the worlds fish is fished for unsustainably. I do actually look for MSC certification or where possible use the MCS guide.

I've ate a lot of coarse fish mostly pike and zander which I thought were great, last coarse fish I ate were bleak that my local indian cooked for me. Personally now I believe there is more than enough predation for our native freshwater stocks to contend with and unlike the other creatures that prey on the fish I have a conscious choice and can easily choose something else to eat.

I reckon I could fish a few venues out on my own let alone if all and sundry had a go or are you proposing quotas lol?

The biggest problem is where does it end and who decides enough is enough? Why should people not commercially fish for coarse fish? I've seen several shoals of chub cleared out by nightlines and illegal netting is common now but I cannot see one rule for one and one rule for someone else so should it be legal?

IMO just because a club or bylaws have not banned does not make it fine ongoing or certain places allowed to be a free for all. I go coarse fishing simply to enjoy the fishing as do most on here. Eating coarse fish is I believe an unnecessary and dangerous road to go down as the potential for mission creep is a risk not worth taking and the thought of having to fish managed waters fills me with horror.
Click to expand...

i will only take issue with one comment - 'managed waters'

all waters are managed to a greater or lesser extent

i am by my own admission a hunter - be it fish or mammals and make no apology

but - i only take game/fish from sustainable resources

just ordered some more smoked eel caught in the Somerset Levels
 
as said some time ago 'catch and release' is not acceptable to most members of the public

the public are in the main mostly OK with catching and eating fish

what they have is a big problem with subjecting fish to stress/pain purely for the pleasure of anglers - and then match fishing when this is for money?

as somebody who is anti fishing the other day said - would it be OK to use a tranquilliser on say an elephant to get it photographed?

and fish care is bollocks - i was a die hard carper for thirty years and respected all species - i would use my net/mat and Klinik on bream/tench

i have seen 'big name' carpers totally abuse non carp - drag them up the bank rather than have their net fouled by 'slime'
 
if you want to see wildlife (brown bears) in harmony with nature just go Katmai or Kenai in Alaska

totally sustainable

Brown bears/salmon/moose in harmony - and hunting under strict regulation is allowed - SUSTAINABLE

and yes, its managed for the benefit of the wildlife

if you ever see a brown bear up close it will change your life for ever- nothing else comes close - not even a white shark
 
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Nick Hodgkinson said:
just read more about sustainable fisheries?

eg Loch Neagh in Ireland? - they stock farm raised elvers

very much what has gone on In Scotland with the atlantic salmon - The District Fishery Boards used funds from the 'levy' on salmon fisheries to build hatcheries and release smolts to supplement the natural stock

sustainable means rules are applied to each river/fishery - the EA issues licences to many eel fisheries in the UK

heck they cannot be too endangered when all UK pike bait suppliers sell eel sections?
Click to expand...

I have to say I totally disagree, eel numbers throughout Europe continue to crash and taking elvers from the wild and stocking them into Loch Neagh & other waters for future netting and consumption is sustainable? Surely if Loch Neagh was a sustainable eel fishery there would be no need to top up levels from other sources, so denuding those sources of there brood stock. I think you will find that eels are abundant in certain waters, e.g. the lower Severn but overall in massive decline compared to historical levels.
 
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