HuntinJake_23
Senior Member
Tough day on Oconee today, managed to nice sized cats and a 15lb gar. I’ve always thought gar to be trash fish; but have recently seen some YouTube videos on catch, clean, and cook. Just seeing how y’all prepare them.
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Caught a gar, now what....
- Thread starter HuntinJake_23
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First, jerk those backstraps out. They're good a lot of ways, but my favorite is blackened. Brush one side with melted butter, sprinkle liberally with Creole seasoning, and hit it in a hot pan. Brush and sprinkle the top side while the bottom side is cooking, then flip, cook for another minute or two, and enjoy. The main thing is not to overcook them.
HuntinJake_23
Senior Member
Back straps are out, that was a fun first endeavor. I cleaned up all the blood line looking stuff and cut into 6 inch sections and packaged. Will be cooking very soon.
BTW, gar doesn't freeze well. It's much better fresh.
Pointpuller
Senior Member
I had been hearing about how good gar were for years. "Taste like lobster", "good as grouper" bla bla bla. We kept one at the camp one day just to give it a try. Used tin snips down the back and peeled out the back strap. Not bad looking meat. We included it in the fish fry that night with red bellies and flatheads. The gar was edible but not good in my opinion. Let us know what you think.
If I was hungry and on hard times I would eat it again. Lets hope it don't come down to that. Maybe Im just spoiled on grouper and snapper but that fish aint good to me.
If I was hungry and on hard times I would eat it again. Lets hope it don't come down to that. Maybe Im just spoiled on grouper and snapper but that fish aint good to me.
Gar is ok fried, but it doesn't really taste like fried fish. And if you overcook it, it's not nearly as good as when it's cooked right. That usually happens when you deep fry it. I like it better blackened or grilled. It doesn't have a fish texture, either. To me it's like a cross between lobster and gator.
