Anyone ever fix crappie that were scaled the way Grandma used to do it (Remember her using a spoon to scale them). Put some oil in your cast iron skillet with a 10 inch or larger crappie (cornmeal and salt/pepper) you scaled rather than filleted? Man, we tried some today and I forgot how good those scaled fish actually taste. I guess it is something about the skin and bone adding flavor to it, but it was great. We even threw in a few extra large perch and it was really great.

Fillets are tremendous, but you might try scaling a few and see how you like it.

Good Fishing,
Mud-Dabber

Mud-Dabber,

I remember eating gutted/scaled whole fish too. To me, they're better tasting too. Plus, you get the bonus of the tail with whole fried fish. However, the taste does not outweigh storing whole crappies vs crappie fillets for me. My mother likes the 10 inchers gutted and scaled the best.

,
Calvin

They're more moist and tender with the bones. I prefer whole catfish vs fillets, and have never filleted a bream or crappie.

Now if I caught a bunch, I would fillet everything but what I'm gonna eat today or tomorrow.

We always ate what we caught when we got home.

No doubt when storing them, filleting is the way to go; otherwise you might prick the sack and it takes up more room. Being fresh is probably a key in the taste also, but the largest disadvantage is feeding kids as the bones can be a problem and caution is an absolute when eating.

Like a lot of things, we get in such a hurry sometimes that we don't stop and enjoy the fish, which no doubt takes more time and effort to scale.

Mud-Dabber

I scale them and fillet them but leave the skin on quite a bit.
Best of both worlds crispy skin and no bones.

I never fillet mine unless it's a kitty that's over 8lbs. Hybrids scaled and steaked. Sandies, Crappies, big blue gill all gutted, scaled and fried whole, I have even grilled magnum sandies on the coal. They came out great

And based on your signature, I bet you have ate a few fish. I'll try it some time but have always filet mine.

Mom always had bread and butter when serving fish as fish were never filleted when I was growing up. She said if you get a bone stuck in your throat swallow some bread. Some how all of us kids never did get a bone stuck in our throat. We chewed and chewed to be sure. A few years ago I fixed some whole fried fish too and my nephew had never had anything but fillets. He said he like the fillets better. But I did think the whole fish had a better taste too.

I always cook the bream that way. delicious! Crappie, occasionally whole.

Oh my...crappie tails. Been a while since I had some.

I fillet my Crappie and scale/gut my Bluegills. I also fillet White Bass and Catfish.

Yes Mud-Dabber,

That is a winning combination...UNBEATABLE!

if you cook a perch just right, not over or under cook, you can grab the bone from the front, and the tail, and kind of twist it, and then pull it out, leaving the flaky white meat and skin.

Used to catch them out of the creek that ran into Cedar Creek at my Uncle Fred's when I was a young lad.
We always gutted and scaled them on a piece of plywood over the water well with about 6 or 7 cats under our feet wanting the eggs.
Then aunt Jan would fry them up in a cast iron skillet - YUMMY

My two brothers and BIL get together most every Sunday afternoon and grill or fry supper. Couple weeks ago had whole scaled, fried blue gills. We ate a bunch.