Pickled Smelt?

fj40

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Running low on pickled fish. Got a few pike in the freezer but also have a ton of smelt. Anyone here ever pickle smelt? Too Oily? I would imagine I would have to remove head,fins, guts, maybe skin?
 


guywhofishes

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I am guessing too oily - absolutely disgusting is my guess.

Then again - I love me some good Gaffelbiter (pickled herring) and that's oily so....
 

tikkalover

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When I pickle northern, I clean\filet them and then they go right in the pickle brine. IMO, it seems like if you freeze them first they have a tendency to get mushy. I would try fresh caught smelt but not frozen ones.
 

ItemB

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Use the smelt and go catch some northern to pickle.
 


Brian Renville

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When I pickle northern, I clean\filet them and then they go right in the pickle brine. IMO, it seems like if you freeze them first they have a tendency to get mushy. I would try fresh caught smelt but not frozen ones.

Really? I love pickled herring to the dismay of my wife but I just cant get the pike to a similar texture. I thought maybe an extra vinegar bath before the pickling solution might help but havent tried it yet. Last time I thought the texture was almost like playdoh. I just can't handle it.

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Also if a guy was die hard on eating his bait gut them, bread them and fry them. I've never done it but I hear that's what people do.
 

tikkalover

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Yes, I do freeze the ones I smoke but not the ones I pickle. When I get home from work I will post the recipe I use.
 

guywhofishes

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When I pickle northern, I clean\filet them and then they go right in the pickle brine. IMO, it seems like if you freeze them first they have a tendency to get mushy. I would try fresh caught smelt but not frozen ones.

"[h=2]Can I eat a diseased or parasitized fish?[/h]It is advisable to thoroughly cook or hot smoke all fish to 140° F for at least five minutes, or freeze them at 0° F for 48 hours. If you are planning to eat an infected or infested fish, see the recommendations in the Parasites Table.
Although some parasites make fish look and taste unappetizing, very few fish parasites can be transferred to humans. Even when a fish exhibits obvious signs of disease or parasites, most likely the fish is still edible when cooked, hot smoked, or frozen. People have been infected with tapeworms (Diphyllobothrium latum) after consuming marinated, uncooked walleye and northern pike. In one incident, anglers marinated freshly caught fish overnight in lemon juice and ate them the next day. They were following a recipe for seviche, a South American dish. Generally, Minnesotans don't prepare seviche, but they do pickle raw fish. Pickling alone may not destroy a larval tapeworm.
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/fisheries/parasites

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I agree - I prefer never frozen pickled fish - but I'm not into parasites so I started freezing northern first.
 

Stan's Dad

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Holy hell i think i have a tape worm. Ive lost like 10 pounds the last few weeks for no reason at all.

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What should i name it?
 

guywhofishes

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images
 


AR-15

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Lots of recipes on the web for them, what time of the year can a person catch smelt, would like to try some pickled
 

TFX 186

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My brother and I made pickled pike at the same time. Same recipe but his fish were fresh and mine had been frozen. Like Tikka said, the frozen fish turned out mushy. The fresh was way better. I will never pickle frozen fish again. Just my 2 cents on it.

Fish On!
 

Davey Crockett

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I ate so much of it when I was younger that I settle for a small hunk about every 3 years. My Mom loved it and there was always some in the fridge. If she ran out of homegrown she bought it in little wooden pails about 1/2 gallon at a time. And buttermilk Ishta. She's 97 and healthy so it must be safe.
 

Obi-Wan

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Really? I love pickled herring to the dismay of my wife but I just cant get the pike to a similar texture. I thought maybe an extra vinegar bath before the pickling solution might help but havent tried it yet. Last time I thought the texture was almost like playdoh. I just can't handle it.

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Also if a guy was die hard on eating his bait gut them, bread them and fry them. I've never done it but I hear that's what people do.
Years back the smelt run on the Missouri in the spring we used to go net buckets full and have a smelt fry at the local bar. Cut the head off and remove the guts and bread them in your favorite breading then drop them in a deep fryer. They are not bad eating but it takes a shitload of them for a smelt fry.
 


AR-15

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I got the bugs from some undercooked lobster once, you don't want to go though that, your bunghole fall off and lands on the floor and you know your about dead before you go to the doc., so I cook my fish good before eating and freeze the fish good before pickling
 

eliminator

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Brian, I have also talked to several people out Montana way and they say be prepared for water as all the watersheds out there are significantly over the 100 percent of moisture level this year. I have heard as high as 170 percent---haven't seen anything official about it at all tho.
 

AR-15

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Wonder will they keep the gates closed at the Dam until it's to late again?
 


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