Anyone ever actually eat the bait?

[Drake]

Stumbled across some videos of people fileting greenies. We've all caught some greenies that look more like a meal than bait. Anyone ever serve one up?



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[wade]

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[pchen911]

Yes. My dad likes the grilled greenback mackerals. If you want to try them professionally cooked, go to Tajima on Convoy and order the Saba Shioyaki.

http://leutheuser.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/cherryblossomsabashioyaki.jpg

I am not a fan of greenies, but the Spanish Macks make great sashimi and I do like those. I keep them regularly as well as order them in restaurants. Better than yellowtails IMO. They sell them at Sushi Ota in PB for $17 per mackeral. An order of spanish mack sushi is more expensive than an order of yellowtail belly sushi.

http://s3-media4.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/3vA0vkqOF2ZQjb0BqIVU3g/l.jpg

[dwntwnall4u]

I am not a fan of greenies, but the Spanish Macks make great sashimi and I do like those. I keep them regularly as well as order them in restaurants. Better than yellowtails IMO. They sell them at Sushi Ota in PB for $17 per mackeral. An order of spanish mack sushi is more expensive than an order of yellowtail belly sushi.

http://s3-media4.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/3vA0vkqOF2ZQjb0BqIVU3g/l.jpg
Looks good, I may need to try the Spanish Macks

[mtnbykr2]

raw fish and saki one of my all time favs:reel:

[Riskey Water]

I' ve always been a fan of the spanish macs for sashimi with that clean white meat and deep fried head with body on .Can't beat it ,especially with a Saporo and a hot Saki !!!

[xpresso2am]

My wife and mother in law like macs, but they claim they have to be the ones from the India ocean?? why..hell if I know. I could bring them buckets of macs, now if they wanted White Sea Bass or Local Yellow Tail from my they will starve!!

Macs are bait!!!

[William Novotny]

I want to learn to properly debone a spanard. Every sushi bar I go to I hear the same thing, " we don't serve spanish mackerel, they are too hard to fillet". Whatever ill start making my own sashimi. I even had one place that served me pacific mac and told me it was spanish. I imbaressed the hell out of my wife that day...but got our meal comped

[PapaDave]

If they are big enough to fillet, I will keep and eat mackeral, no problem. My grandson likes them too.

[Drake]

Thanks guys. I usually pardon their lives when I head back in, but I guess a meal once in a while would be nice after getting skunked :luxhello:

[j mo]

Funny you should post about this. I just got a cook book by Ferran AdriÃX (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ferran-adria). The world's greatest chef & the man behind El Bulli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElBulli) in Spain.

Two recipes stuck out: Mackerel Stew and Sesame Sardines. If the worlds greatest chef is down w bait fish I guess I should give it a try. Though Mackeral stew sounds about as good as horsemeat tacos.

Ill let you know what I think.

[sasha]

I eat them all the time if they are big ones. You can fry them grill them or marinade them. When you cut them make sure the meat is nice and white, Taste better. Now not all mackerel were born same. The best i ever had were the Medierranean mackerel the meat is nice white and not as oily. In the Medierranean area Mackerel is is up toward the top of the list. Most of the time its Grilled or baked. Russians eat marinaded Mackerel with boiled potatoes and veg on the side.
Just in case you guys didnt notice i love good food and love to cook lol.
If i could only catch something big to make a proper dinner.

Sasha

[ChefT]

..... Making a simple cure of 90% salt 10%sugar... some lemon zest and fennel pollen...... lightly cover for 10min...... rinse..... dry.... eat...

this same cure is great on local halibut for doing a crudo....

Crudo..= Sliced fish, citrus juice, olive oil, maldon salt, lil bit radish, italian arugula, or any other garnish you may see fit.....

Try it ....delish....

LIL bit this :cheers1: lil bit this... :sifone:... even better.....

[mtnbykr2]

"Welcome to the BWE cooking channel where today we will be discussing all the great different ways to prepare and eat" "bait"...
I don't know about the rest of you but I am getting mighty hungry...
I am saving all of these receipes to try out, so far there are some pretty good ones...keep coming thanks for sharin:reel:

[Drake]

Haha me too. I have 5 shopping bags filled with "Lobster Bait" and there are definately 1.5 lb greenies in there. I'm thinking of thawing em out and having a good lunch :cheers1:

[ChefT]

This should all make your mouths water .......

post this in your browser.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_1qG_y5Xqg&feature=player_detailpage
:star:

[taggermike]

Hell ya I ate my bait. I've brought home our local squid and they're fantastic. Back in North Carolina where live shrimp is the candy bait I've added them as a topping to the fish I caught that day. Mike

[mazilla]

I live in south east SD so I give my macs to my Filipino neighbors...they can't get enough of them.

[silverbullet]

Never tried the bait but often wondered about the "Big Mac's" since I know many cultures eat them... hell I have eaten them in Japan. We should all give it a try if not only to get into the head of the Yellow Tails and see what makes them tick. :D:aetsch:

[mazilla]

The world's greatest chef & the man behind El Bulli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElBulli) in Spain.




I wonder who gave him that title...:rolleyes:

[ctfphoto]

BECAUSE of this THREAD (and some google research, and my mother in laws father's fishing for smelt to eat), I ate the bait for breakfast THIS morning.

I was out fishing yesterday and caught lots of macks and lots of smelt. There was so much bait fish in the water that the larger fish did not seem hungry.

This morning I went into my lobster bait in the freezer and pulled out 3 smelt that were about 14 hrs old.

When I butterfly filet the bait, I noticed very white meat :D

WOW, super good eats, should have gone for more

[mtnbykr2]

and I thought smelt were good for nothing but cut bait...bravo....nuther
good idea, nice presentation:reel:

[sasha]

Fast way to make Smelt (which i love to eat). Clean and gut it deep fry it with some garlic. For the side fries and lots more garlic and a nice big tomato sliced with salt and peper.
Or you can bake them, brush olive oil and spices all over inside and out. put a thin sliced black olive on top of each.
I just made myself very hungry.

[ChefT]

I wonder who gave him that title...:rolleyes:

The mans legit...And so is his brother Albert. Some of the best chefs in the world have worked for him...
A meal there will run you around $600 US dollars.....per person and take a year to get into.... When they were open.... Now it's a school for modern cooking. Top restaurant in the world for along time along with The Fat Duck in England and the newcomer Noma in Denmark.

Food 4 thought ....?

[TheBentRod]

When I butterfly filet the bait, I noticed very white meat :D

WOW, super good eats, should have gone for more


Did you scale them? How easy are they to butterfly?

[ctfphoto]

Did you scale them? How easy are they to butterfly?

I left the scales on, and what happened is when I cleaned and beheaded them, I noticed a large backbone as the bait was quite large. I grabbed the backbone at the head end and pulled it and it came out nicely ending in a butterfly. Did the same for the other two and worked just as good. Leaves a few small bones you can eat or discard.

[pchen911]

Smelt and Grunions are essentially the same.

I go through hundreds of them during grunion run season.

Easiest way to prepare is to scale, salt, dust in flour, and deep fry. Then just eat around the bones and gut.

No need to gut them or fillet them. Easy to prepare when you have a bucket of hundreds at a time.

People have been eating them this way forever. Not so popular now, but in the 70s and 80s it was a very popular thing to do. Goes great with beer.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/268231_10150229818634639_749894638_7406789_960345_ n.jpg

[pchen911]

I want to learn to properly debone a spanard. Every sushi bar I go to I hear the same thing, " we don't serve spanish mackerel, they are too hard to fillet". Whatever ill start making my own sashimi. I even had one place that served me pacific mac and told me it was spanish. I imbaressed the hell out of my wife that day...but got our meal comped

Yea, spanish is a bit hard to debone.

The "correct" way to do it is to fillet, peel off the skin by hand, cut out the rib bones, then pluck each of the small bones out using a tweezer. At least that is how the restaurants do it. This way, you end up with a beautiful boneless fillet which you can cut into pieces.

Too much work for the home cook.

What I do is fillet the two sides, skin using fillet knife, cut out the rib bones, Then cut out the center strip holding the blood line and small bones. So I don't need to pluck individual bones.

Once you have the meat de-boned, put some grated ginger and chopped scallons on top. Eat with soy sauce (no wasabi).

Easy meal for the skunked fisherman.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316854_10150298004219639_749894638_8030878_1785226 227_n.jpg

[ryan111]

no offense but why would you eat bait!

[ctfphoto]

no offense but why would you eat bait!

Two reasons,

lack of catching anything larger that day except macs

and because they taste extremely delicious.

I am actually craving more right now as I only had one and my wife and her mother each had one. My wife does not really like fish and she ate the whole thing ;)

[pchen911]

no offense but why would you eat bait!

I think they are tasty.

Maybe not for everyone. But I like to switch up my meals a little sometimes. I still got yellowtails, white seabass, sheephead, and rockfish in the freezer, but I'll still eat bait once in a while. Taste-wise, I like spanish macks more than any of them.

[dmrides]

I haven't had a chance to get out in a while; but I am guessing from the sounds of this thread that perhaps fishing is slow these days?

"Ahh hell, I guess we can just eat the bait."

I can't wait to see how Yani serves up the bottom of the food chain. I have heard from lots of folks that spanish mas taste great. I have yet to try one, it seems like a lot of work for such a little bit of meat. Then again, I eat trout, and one could say the same for them. Thanks all, you have opened my mind.

[mazilla]

The mans legit...And so is his brother Albert. Some of the best chefs in the world have worked for him...
A meal there will run you around $600 US dollars.....per person and take a year to get into.... When they were open.... Now it's a school for modern cooking. Top restaurant in the world for along time along with The Fat Duck in England and the newcomer Noma in Denmark.

Food 4 thought ....?

I'm aware he is legit, however there is no way he can have a legitimate title as "the best chef in the world" it's an impossibility. It's like saying I'm the best artist in the world, food is an art, it's open to interpretation...you simply cannot have a "best". I've spent 600.00 on a meal in San Diego, was the chef the best in the world too?


I'm assuming you are/were also a chef(as was I, BA in culinary arts from CSCA le Cordon bleu) so you have to know what I'm talking about.

[pchen911]

it seems like a lot of work for such a little bit of meat.

You should try hooping for lobsters. :D

[ChefT]

I'm aware he is legit, however there is no way he can have a legitimate title as "the best chef in the world" it's an impossibility. It's like saying I'm the best artist in the world, food is an art, it's open to interpretation...you simply cannot have a "best". I've spent 600.00 on a meal in San Diego, was the chef the best in the world too?


I'm assuming you are/were also a chef(as was I, BA in culinary arts from CSCA le Cordon bleu) so you have to know what I'm talking about.

Agree......:sifone:

[salty pirate]

my cuz was eatin smelt for a while, then he started finding parasites in the meat. mabe take a good look when you clean um. :cheers1:

[Drake]

Just ate a greenie! Didn't filet as well as a I hoped because it was still a little frozen inside.

It was actually pretty good. Some olive oil, lemon pepper and fresh basil and it was actually quite yummy! Definitely saving bait from now on lol.

[StinkyMatt]

Whether you eat macs or sardines is strictly cultural.

It has absolutely nothing to do with taste.

We have been "trained" that it is a bait fish, many places think otherwise.

We don't eat horse meat in the U.S. because we were "trained". If you ever had smoked horse sausage links, to die for.

Beef is cool, right? Not to the 930 billion Indians.

So, keep your mind open.


Carp, now that is some good eats!:D

[ChefT]

[QUOTE=StinkyMatt;97716]
If you ever had smoked horse sausage links, to die for.
So, keep your mind open.

Ummm ...... had some variations of horse in Italy, but wish i had some of those.....

Stinky Matt..... your aint so stinky .....

But thats right I almost forgot..... your part of the elite group now right....:D

[pchen911]

We don't eat horse meat in the U.S. because we were "trained". If you ever had smoked horse sausage links, to die for.

The tongue is excellent when eaten raw. Had them in Japan.

[PescadorPete]

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/500/sardine.jpg

[lterrero]

Funny you should post about this. I just got a cook book by Ferran Adrià (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ferran-adria). The world's greatest chef & the man behind El Bulli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElBulli) in Spain.

Two recipes stuck out: Mackerel Stew and Sesame Sardines. If the worlds greatest chef is down w bait fish I guess I should give it a try. Though Mackeral stew sounds about as good as horsemeat tacos.

Ill let you know what I think. Amigo Josh! I like deep fry Anchovy ( Camiguana ) and cold beer, very common in bars in South America.

[j mo]

Amigo Josh! I like deep fry Anchovy ( Camiguana ) and cold beer, very common in bars in South America.

“¡Che! ¿Qué pasó ?

[jimbo]

Thanks for recipes. Good to learn them n hear people enjoying them. I tried straight PAC Mac raw one time. I was cutting for bait, I was hungry n it looked good. Was not too much a fan but maybe I should try again w a recipe.

More reasons to eat these fish...
High concentrations of efa's n lower concentations of mercury - healthy.
Shorter life cycles than large fish so much more sustainable for harvest (Hubbs won't need to start a hatchery).

Keep in mind that bft used to be considered bycatch -now most xpnsiv fish in world. I agree it has a lot to do w what we're taught is delicious, how fish is cared for (I love pix of people filleting fish on hot concrete in mid afternoon!) n how it's prepared. Those pix of Spanish macs look pretty appetizing.

[lterrero]

“¡Che! ¿Qué pasó ? Hey j mo! che is from Argentina, in Venezuela we say pana; and once again thanks for the :wsb: pics, next is going to be my 60 lbs YT:)

[j mo]

Lo, Siento Leo!

Lets do it, as YT im certain taste better than bait fish.....

[lterrero]

Lo, Siento Leo!

Lets do it, as YT im certain taste better than bait fish.....hahaha, more meat less bones?;)

[FamousJay]

I have had several types of "bait fish" over the years.

I take them and simply gut them, dip them in soy sauce, and them toss them into the smoker.

My better half is filipino and we eat just about anything as far as seafood goes, so we have no shame in dining on what some may refer to as "bait"

Some of the best fish I have ever had has been "bait" from the smoker!!;)

[flying bait]

The tongue is excellent when eaten raw. Had them in Japan.

I'm all for trying different kind of food. Even had fried cricket once. Let's just say it tasted better than they look. But, raw horse tongue?!?! I guess that's the closest thing to french kissing a horse? :eek::eek:

[William Novotny]

Obviously sardines are commonly smoked and canned in oil or tommato sauce and I eat them with crackers all the time and anchovie is great on pizza. Not for everyone but I like it. The bones on the small "bait fish" are so brittle when cooked the just crumble

[pchen911]

I'm all for trying different kind of food. Even had fried cricket once. Let's just say it tasted better than they look. But, raw horse tongue?!?! I guess that's the closest thing to french kissing a horse? :eek::eek:

Pretty damn close!

But tongue is actually one of the best parts on bodies of some animals. Pork tongue, cow, horse... All good. Great balance of fat and muscles.

[ChefT]

Pretty damn close!

But tongue is actually one of the best parts on bodies of some animals. Pork tongue, cow, horse... All good. Great balance of fat and muscles.

Corned Beef tongue ......ummmmmm
:spam:

[FamousJay]

Various tasty macks from my smoker..... http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7394/smokedbait.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/smokedbait.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)