If I keep fish from Athens I fillet them. But the ones I keep from Athens are normally good sized fish. Some of the fillets I get off Athens fish are nearly an inch thich at the thickest part along the back.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
I don't fillet mine either. Tried it a couple times & I think they actually taste better just scaled with the skin left on...I'm with Chuck on this one...
I usually filet and fry. For those that scale and fry, how do you get the corn meal to stay attached to the skin? I seem to lose a lot of it when frying whole fish.
JC...To make the corn meal stick, I dip them in egg & milk...beat up an egg...add a little milk & beat again...dip both sides in this, then in the corn meal.
When frying, I use an electric fryer that the heating element is about an inch up off the bottom. The loose cornmeal falls down below the element and doesn't burn. I also use cotton seed oil due to a higher smoke temp and it also does not absorb the odor from the fish. I use a batch of oil 3 to 4 times.
Transgenders: God made them, the devil changed their minds.
Boy the way I do it is 100 times better. First I go to HEB"s seaford section and look over the "catch of the day". After they filet and wrap it, I bring it home and give it to the wife to cook. Easy Peasy and little to no mess at all.