long promised gar cleaning thread

for whatever reason , this year we have been snakebit when it comes to eating sized gar. we see big uns, but have yet to put them in the boat. well last night ethan and i both connected on good fish and i decided to make good on my promise for a cleaning thread. you can use tin snips or a paramedics type scissors but i built a "gar opener" that works well for me. it is just a piece of steel that i sharpened and hit on the back with a hammer to cut through the gar. the bony plates they have for scales are almost bulletproof and are very sharp when broken so use caution!!! i make one slit down the back and an angular slit behind the gills and by the anal fin. this helps to "open" the critter. you are going for a backstrap down the spine just like a deer. there are no bones in the meat at all, it is just a lot of trouble to get to it. once you make the slits, use a sharp flexible knife to work the skin off the outside of the fillet then, like taking a backstrap, work it from one end to the other off of the spine. do not soak gar meat in water or brine, it will ruin the texture.

we have had it fried and it is excellent. probably the whitest fish i have ever seen. a lot of folks boil it like lobster then chill and serve with cocktail sauce. they call it "poor mans lobster" i will try this out and report back on it. i am also going to put it on the grill to test that too. the texture is more like lobster than fish so it would be great if that turned out good. i will post in the outdoor cafe when i fry up a batch, i know there are lots of skeptics !!! yall take care and i hope this helped a little for those who may want to try some. FERAL 1

Thanks for the info, i think its a first for Gar... Whatcha plan to make with the nice fillets ya got there?

gonna fry the first batch the "experiment" with the second. i know we like it fried, but we have heard a lot about steaming or boiling it like lobster. might be worth a try!

I heard its real bony and greasy. If you had to compare it to the taste of another fish, what would you compare it to? Ive caught a bunch, but never kept them or eatin them. We always catch them on a rope, then release.

I like it steamed with butter or baked with lemon butter and salt. If you eat the back no real amount of bones.
Make real nice mounts to you can check out one we did on our web site.

Kim

slimbo, no bones and no grease !!! it is whiter than a crappie fillet . they have the same diet as bass so i would compare the two of them.

I hear they are sweet and meaty not flakey. Is there any truth to that?

yep, when i do up a batch i will take some close up pics. the texture is hard to explain but it is more like a shrimp or lobster than a flaky fish fillet.

cooked some up a bit ago, here is a link

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=126703