# Can't Believe I'm Eating a Bluegill Melt



## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

I recently took up fishing (mostly fly fishing) and brought home over 15 bluegill (and one largemouth bass) the other evening. DW and I, after being outraged at the price of tuna (which I like but nobody else does) decided to can them and see how it turns out.

We cleaned and scaled the fish and removed head, tail, and fins, but left all the skin and bones, since the fish were fairly small. This jar had a bit of ketchup and vinegar in it. Other jars was different flavoring such as smoke and garlic.

I opened it today and it smells far less "fishy" than your average tuna. The taste is also much milder than tuna. Although you can see the bones, when you touch them they turned to powder (although I got a couple that were maybe a bit "chewy").

To make the melt I added chopped celery, green onion and dill pickle; mayo and mustard; pepper and a bit of thyme. I then spread it on some garlic sourdough bread which I had toasted. I topped with shredded cheese and broiled it.

It's very good and the size of jars we used is just the right amount even thought they could have been fuller.

The lake I caught them on is on the way home home from work, so no extra driving involved unless I go on a day off. It's also free on the side I fished on (it's a state park with an entrance fee).

There are also supposed to be catfish, perch, tiger muskie, and trout in the lake.

I want to try some patties and see if I can get them past my DDs. I was also thinking of making a cream of potato chowder (we grew lots of red potatoes this year) and ads a bit of the fish maybe with the skin removed.


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

That sounds delicious! My mom used to make canned tuna- from tuna my dad caught when I was a kid.


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## CNCfamily (Sep 13, 2010)

My grandpa has always canned fish, but i always thought it sounded disgusting with the skin and bones and all in it. We catch some pretty big trout around here though, so i bet i could can it more like a typical can of tuna from the store would be, without all the bones and such. What is the recipe you used?


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

CNCfamily said:


> My grandpa has always canned fish, but i always thought it sounded disgusting with the skin and bones and all in it. We catch some pretty big trout around here though, so i bet i could can it more like a typical can of tuna from the store would be, without all the bones and such. What is the recipe you used?


I'll admit, the fish doesn't look palatable with the skin on, but I'm sure it contains good nutrients. The bones are a good source of calcium. By the time you mix everything into it to make something like a "tuna" sandwich or salad, it doesn't look any different than tuna.

Here is the information DW used:

http://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publications-db/catalog/hec/FNH-00126.pdf


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## Gladrags (Jul 13, 2010)

Good for you!


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## Feisty Farm (Apr 10, 2012)

Awesome! I think I might have to try this. We have all sorts of bluegill and crappie in our pond. I usually just fillet and freeze, but I never thought of canning it and using it in the place of tuna.


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

This also works on carp and sucker...which most people think of as trash fish. Absolutely delicious and they do make an awesome fish cake!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

We skin and fillet bluegill to do away with the scales, skin, and bones.

Carp are wonderful fish. I love them. You do have to use huge ones then score them, but they are good. Some of my family use to eat dogfish (suckers?), but I've had no experience in cleaning or cooking them. It's good to know that a few people agree that they are good.


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## phbailey (Sep 18, 2012)

Thanks for sharing this. DH just purchased a year long fishing permit, so canning fish may be in my future. My dad did it once a LONG time ago, but it did not turn out very good and became very labor intensive cat food.:yuck:

Pro tip for making patties for kiddos - if yours are of the younger set like mine you can call them "krabbie patties" - youngest of mine is a sponge bob fanatic but not a fish lover. He gobbled them up. We made salmon croquettes with store bought canned salmon, but I suspect we could do the same with home canned fish if we ever get enough of a catch to do that.


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## bluebird2o2 (Feb 14, 2007)

sounds awesome!


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

I can spoonbill (paddlefish) in half pint jars with a little mesquite liquid smoke and olive oil. We use it instead of Tuna fish for tuna salad sandwiches, It's very good - Better than Tuna.


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