# Bullhead recipes



## fishhead

Does anyone have any good bullhead recipes? Any recipes for canning them?


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## Ray

I remember those little yellow bellies when I was a child. Swallow a hook so deep you couldn't get it out without killing them. The men used to seine them by the hundreds and then have a neighborhood fishfry. weren't they kinda fatty? I imagine you could do anything with them, if you like the flavor. try smoking them, best wishes ray


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## backwoodsman

Heres a few of ours. First is a basic frying one, mix 1egg and 1c milk, season approx 2c flour, 1/2 tsp of Lawrys seasoning salt is good with a pinch of garlic powder. Heat about 3/4" of clean oil in a skillet, med./high heat and when a drop of flour sizzles give the dressed bullheads a swirl in the wet mix and dredge in flour and fry, turning once on each side. We use to cook alot of them right on the bank as there wasnt size limits etc on them. Easiest way is to dress them out leaving the "chin" bone intact and just spit'em over the fire on a green stick. Better way is to wrap them after being dressed around a green stick with 2 layers of aluminum foil, set stick and all beside the fire, turning frequently with the stick. Lemon and onion can be placed inside the bullhead and around the outside. When its flaky and done then debone it, its good with the onion, little salt and mustard. It beats a week of Spam sandwich's all hollow. We've filleted them before too and boiled them in salt and lemon water for about 5 min. Chill them and serve with spicy hot sauce or cocktail sauce. If their clean/cleaned good they taste alot like shrimp with that recipe. The fillets or whole chunked fish can be cooked down into fish chowder too. If your not using fillets you have to sort thru the meat to get all the bones before you finish the stock/chowder. 1/4lb fillets, 2 cans oysters, 1/4gallon whole milk, 1tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper and about 3 tbls butter, bring all to boil, turn heat down and simmer 5 or 10 min. Longer the simmer the better. Potatoes, onions, carrots etc can be added. Okra is even a good different taste on occasion added to it. Ive had bullhead pickled, smoked and canned but never cared for them that way. Most fish pickling recipes should work along with any meat canning recipes. My wifes aunt can's most of the fish they dont consume fresh and they do alot of pickling for carp, drum and other rough fish the river is full of. Smoked carp is getting popular around here. We caught enough bullheads Friday evening for everyone to have two dressed whole along with all the trimmings. The chowder cooked on the campfire is awesome too.


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## Cabin Fever

Nail the head to a board. Gut the bullhead and rip the skin off with a pliers. Eat the board and sell the bullhead fillet to an Iowegian.


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## Ed Norman

Cabin Fever said:


> Nail the head to a board. Gut the bullhead and rip the skin off with a pliers. Eat the board and sell the bullhead fillet to an Iowegian.


That's pretty close to my merganser recipe. Pluck and clean merganser, place in pot of water with double bit axe. Boil until a fork will stick in axe head, then go out to dinner.


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## fishhead

backwoodsman said:


> Heres a few of ours. First is a basic frying one, mix 1egg and 1c milk, season approx 2c flour, 1/2 tsp of Lawrys seasoning salt is good with a pinch of garlic powder. Heat about 3/4" of clean oil in a skillet, med./high heat and when a drop of flour sizzles give the dressed bullheads a swirl in the wet mix and dredge in flour and fry, turning once on each side. We use to cook alot of them right on the bank as there wasnt size limits etc on them. Easiest way is to dress them out leaving the "chin" bone intact and just spit'em over the fire on a green stick. Better way is to wrap them after being dressed around a green stick with 2 layers of aluminum foil, set stick and all beside the fire, turning frequently with the stick. Lemon and onion can be placed inside the bullhead and around the outside. When its flaky and done then debone it, its good with the onion, little salt and mustard. It beats a week of Spam sandwich's all hollow. We've filleted them before too and boiled them in salt and lemon water for about 5 min. Chill them and serve with spicy hot sauce or cocktail sauce. If their clean/cleaned good they taste alot like shrimp with that recipe. The fillets or whole chunked fish can be cooked down into fish chowder too. If your not using fillets you have to sort thru the meat to get all the bones before you finish the stock/chowder. 1/4lb fillets, 2 cans oysters, 1/4gallon whole milk, 1tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper and about 3 tbls butter, bring all to boil, turn heat down and simmer 5 or 10 min. Longer the simmer the better. Potatoes, onions, carrots etc can be added. Okra is even a good different taste on occasion added to it. Ive had bullhead pickled, smoked and canned but never cared for them that way. Most fish pickling recipes should work along with any meat canning recipes. My wifes aunt can's most of the fish they dont consume fresh and they do alot of pickling for carp, drum and other rough fish the river is full of. Smoked carp is getting popular around here. We caught enough bullheads Friday evening for everyone to have two dressed whole along with all the trimmings. The chowder cooked on the campfire is awesome too.


Thanks. I'll give them a try. A few years ago I saw a several hundred 4" bullheads concentrated near a culvert not too far from here and that got me thinking of trying to find some good ways to prepare them. I also know of a lake that has some 1 pounders. People catch them and instead of releasing them they toss them in mud puddles to die so they must be catching them at that spot. I hate to see any fish or animal wasted like that.


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## Gloud

As long as they are from cool water we always just skinned them cut the head off and breaded and fried in oil. Very tasty.


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## backwoodsman

The bigger ones are easier to dress and cook but the smaller ones dont have the strong taste, kinda catch 22. Some of the 4"-6" or so we use for live bait for flatheads etc. Some of the "fisherpeople" around here throw anything they dont want on the bank too and it ticks me off. I dont like to see anything wasted, even prolific breeders like bullheads or bluegill. Theres a Fulton bullhead too that was a popular stocking fish for the farmers a few decades ago around here. They dont spawn alot but grow to 3lbs in just 3-4years. We had a 20 acre pond with some up to 5 lbs but some outlaws snuck in and trotlined'em all out. They were fine eating, white bellys. Heres a few tips on fishing for bullheads we use, larger hooks ie: standard 1/0's or long shanked no.6's, no.4's etc will help them from getting deep hooked. My brother swears by a hook out device that has a loop of wire you slide down the line to the hook. Once you hit the hook you pull a trigger and it rotates the hook and pop it comes out. Works better on larger fish but Ive seen him use it on 5" bullheads and it works like a charm and the fish is virtualy unharmed. We will retrieve our hooks when we dress ours most times instead of rooting around with pliers etc if we dont use a hookout. We cut the line leaving a small tag piece sticking out to identify the ones with hooks. We've used 2-5 hook throwlines before too where legal to catch some quick mess's of eaters. One thing I forgot, a soak in salted water(4 tbls to 1/4 gallon, rinse well afterwards) removes alot of the blood, mud etc and we do this with all fish(and alot of small game)that arent immediately consumed. One hour salt soak on a counter/room temp or 24hours in a fridge will help alot. Hope someone can use some of this. Good luck and good eating.


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## fishhead

I was thinking that if I happen to hit it when they are concentrated by the culvert again I would pinch the barb down and then lift them from the stream to a bucket of water. I think they would let go once they hit the water since I would lift them as soon as they took the bait. Should be fun.


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## backwoodsman

Barbless hooks help alot in the removal of fish. If legal and your not after "sport" a dip net or throw net would load a bucket quick.


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## fishhead

This is MN. I haven't checked the laws for a few years but I think even bullheads are protected even though they are classified a "rough" fish. That means there is a limit and restrictions on taking them.


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## backwoodsman

We cant keep them from throw/cast nets but according to our local carp cop we can dip net them in waters that arent 2 pole and line only? We have no limit on them here in Illinois.


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## fishhead

Our DNR justify their existence by writing regulations. For example you can only have 20' of line on your fish spear.

But that doesn't stop me from hooking up to 100 with my fishing pole.


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## maniac1955

They are excellent if cooked right, skin and wash out mud line, before cooking let sit in milk for about a half hour then roll wet fish in a mixture of equal parts flour and corn meal add a dash of salt and pepper or Tony's if you have it, Fry till crispy in peanut oil, as you eat take the meat and dip in drawn butter with a little lemon juice. In Ms. we call it poor mans lobster.


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## fishhead

Thanks. I'm starting to look forward to fishing this summer.


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