# White bass



## missed-em (Jan 20, 2012)

Freind gave me a bag of white bass - after some badgering - never fixed it befor.  Do I deep fry, pan fry, smoke?  Is there a thread on the technique of smoking fish?  Dont know how big the filets are.


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## ecto1 (Jan 20, 2012)

We catch white bass a lot I deep fry them most of the time.  They do not have much flavor as far as fish goes so the kids love them.


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## mossymo (Jan 20, 2012)

With white bass make sure there is no red or dark color meat, only white meat. If there is any darker or red colored meat cut and remove this meat because it will make the entire white meat taste terrible. The white meat on white bass is very good however you decided to prepare it.

Use the search feature for smoking fish and you will find plenty of advice...


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## mballi3011 (Jan 20, 2012)

Now I'm not real sure about white bass but I would fry them. If it's a strong sturdy fish I might grill them.


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## mds51 (Jan 20, 2012)

I second or third the motion about the red stripe or center that should be cut out for better or milder flavor. Instead of frying , I take the fillets and coat them in a Lemon and Pepper mix that you can either buy or make from Lemon Zest, Garlic Powder, fresh ground black pepper and Kosher Salt. I coat the fillets with golden olive oil and then I coat them in the mix. I let them sit for 30 minutes in the Fridge while I heat up the grill. I make a baking sheet out of heavy duty aluminium and spray it with cooking spray. I grill the fillets on high heat for no more than 3 to 5 minutes. When the fillets turn white and flake they are done. I make a vinegar coleslaw and  fresh salsa and make fish tacos with the white bass fillets. They are sweet and tangy from the Lemon and Pepper and are very easy to do and much healthier than frying. I still have to have my annual dinner of fried Crappie or Bluegill, but this recipe helps fill the gaps. You can add your favorite taco toppings to meet your tastes. This recipe works for most fresh water fish I catch like Crappie, Bluegill and Bass.


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## africanmeat (Jan 22, 2012)

I will deep fry them


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## sam3 (Jan 26, 2012)

I usually smoke my striped bass. Then apply a nice JD Honey Pepper glaze over them. Mmmmmmm.

I make a good whitefish spread with it. It's great on a bagel or simply on crackers.They hold up well frozen too.

I'll have to find the recipe and post it here. Sorry about the poor pic quality.


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## rickyldd (Jan 27, 2012)

These are deep fried, red meat removed. That is why they look like fish sticks. The smaller pieces usually are tasted for quality control.


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## lcgc (Feb 7, 2012)

I have eaten white bass (sandbass) for 25 years.  I probably catch and release about 4,000 of these fish every year. For the past five years my company has an annual fish fry for all of our clients and I provide all the fish.  Every year I get the same comment "THAT is sandbass!. I thought it was catfish.".  I have taken the red meat out before and it does work.  But it is time consuming if you have a bunch of it.  The best advice I've ever received is from a guide on my home lake that I am good friends with. It's a lot less hassell and you won't taste the red meat.

The most important thing to do is immediately after your fish are fileted is to put them in a strainer and spray them down until the the water is no longer foamy.  Either cook then or put them in a ziplock bag and fill the bag with water.  Just make sure the bag has all of the air removed.

When I fry them I rinse all the filets one last time.  Then I put a batch in another ziplock back and coat all the filets with mustard.  You will not be able to taste the mustard after you cook it. After the filets are coated with mustard I coat them with my fish fry and fry them at 350 degrees until the are golden brown. 

I think you will like it if you try it this way.  I've grilled them and they are just too fishy for me.


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## checkerfred (Feb 25, 2012)

sam3 said:


> I usually smoke my striped bass. Then apply a nice JD Honey Pepper glaze over them. Mmmmmmm.
> 
> I make a good whitefish spread with it. It's great on a bagel or simply on crackers.They hold up well frozen too.
> 
> I'll have to find the recipe and post it here. Sorry about the poor pic quality.


I'd like this recipe...I have a bunch of white bass I wanna smoke!


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## bigpattern (May 4, 2016)

thanks for all your help will give them a try.


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## msuiceman (May 8, 2016)

can catch as many of these things as one would ever want (and then some) here. they are considered trash fish by many. I find that if they go directly in an ice/saltwater slurry IMMEDIATELY they held up a lot better and get much better quality. they seem to deteriorate much quicker than other species.

I  may just go down to the river today and catch a bunch.


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