# Garfish



## Rom (Mar 2, 2013)

Been a *very* long while since I have posted in DC! 

I did a search and nothing came up except for someone saying they had eaten them lol, so here I am.

Just wondering if anyone has a good recipe for Garfish (not filleted), I normally just coat them in flour and s&p and then shallow fry them. I kinda defrosted too many and want to do something different with all the extras and can't think of what to do with them, lots of things to do if they're filleted, not so many things to do with bones lol.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks for reading.


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## CharlieD (Mar 2, 2013)

Hm, had to Google it myself. The only thing that I found was that they are similar to mackerel, if that's the case maybe you can look up mackerel recipes, as I only eat mackerel smoked, never cooked it myself.


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## buckytom (Mar 3, 2013)

i had it a long time ago in florida. weird looking fish.

 it was cut into chunks, briefly boiled so the meat came away from the bones, then mxed with breadcrumbs, onions, celery, and eggs to make a fish cake for shallow frying.

it was good, but then you can take just about any fish and do that and it'll be good.


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## CraigC (Mar 3, 2013)

You might try looking up Seminole or Miccosukee fish recipes. There are a couple of cookbooks called "Swamp Cooking" by a Cajun woman. Maybe you can also try Homa Indian recipes.

I know Cajuns fish for the big boys, alligator gar.


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## Rom (Mar 3, 2013)

I ended up frying them like usual, yum!

Thanks for the replies, I have another couple of packs waiting in the freezer for me (my Dad catches these often), might try these ideas, thanks!


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## Rom (Mar 3, 2013)

Just had a look at the 'alligator gar', seeing as I never knew they existed, wow...big! The ones I had were like 20cm (without the head) lol


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## buckytom (Mar 3, 2013)

the two old timers from last season on "swamp people", and jeremy wade on "river monsters" have fished for alligator gar. very cool albeit mean looking fish. only down south do you get fresh water fish with big teeth and an attitude to match!


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## CraigC (Mar 3, 2013)

Rom said:


> Just had a look at the 'alligator gar', seeing as I never knew they existed, wow...big! The ones I had were like 20cm (without the head) lol


 
I'd rather run into a thousand alligator gar than one salty!


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## powerplantop (Mar 3, 2013)

Rom said:


> Been a *very* long while since I have posted in DC!
> 
> I did a search and nothing came up except for someone saying they had eaten them lol, so here I am.
> 
> ...



My favorite way to eat gar is gar balls. Here in the south we have something called hush puppies that we make when frying fish. To make gar balls bake the fish (or fry) until it can be broken apart into small pieces then add that to the hush puppy mixture. Then you can eat fish and hush puppies at the same time.


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 3, 2013)

The only way I've ever had it is smoked.


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## 2old2change (Mar 4, 2013)

I didn't even know they were etible. The ones caught down here are in the canals and easements and mangroves, which are all brackish waters.
When the guys catch them,they usually just leave them on the banks for the flys, or birds. They are the nastiest, meanest looking things. I see why the gators in the same waters have marks all over their bodies.
Someone would have to feed me them headless or in some other form to make me try them. YIK!


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## CharlieD (Mar 4, 2013)

They do look nasty


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## Rom (Mar 6, 2013)

Lol the ones my Dad caught fortunately looked nothing like these. The ones I had have a lot of small bones in them that you end up eating anyways.

I wonder what those alligator gar fish taste like,  don't think you get them down under lol


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## ronjohn55 (Mar 6, 2013)

buckytom said:


> the two old timers from last season on "swamp people", and jeremy wade on "river monsters" have fished for alligator gar. very cool albeit mean looking fish. only down south do you get fresh water fish with big teeth and an attitude to match!



Oh Bucky.... there's a couple of surly looking Muskies and Northern Pike out back that would like to have a word with you about that statement about "only down south".   I um... wouldn't go alone. 

New World Record Muskie


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