Striper Meat Quality

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mtnpull

mtnpull

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I have seemed to notice that the more healthy stripers have a more clear and firm meat and then stripers that are on the decline but not quite the snake looking super unhealthy ones seem to have a more whiter colored meat that has a more soft / mushy texture to it. Anyone else notice this? Is there a big differrence in taste and how palatable they are? It seemed of all the stripers we caught today probably only 6 or so seemed to have that more clear / firm meat.
 
The healthy stripers definitely taste better. I just came off of a 5 day fishing trip with of my pals and tried to "convince" them that striper can be firm and tasty. Most liked it, but of course some wouldn't try it. I use a bbq recipe that uses a little bacon and spices that usually makes a great striper meat but I have found that the quality of the fish impacts the quality of the meat
 
We caught a few of those soft mushy ones and i donated them to the lake. I don't want to sour the tastebuds of my wife and daughter as I just got them to start eating striper.
 
White meat on stripers indicate that this fish is in less than ideal condition. When filleting stripers look at the young 12-15 inch fish and notice the color of the fillet. This is the ideal quality to shoot for. Remember that it is OK to use striper meat for bait. So if you get a white meat fillet cut it up and use it for chum next time. Striper meat stays on the hook better than anchovies and if you keep the skin on it will stay on your hook all day long.

Always keep stripers cold. Now that the air and water temperature is going to get hot it is not prudent to put stripers in the live well or on a stringer in the lake. That destroys the taste and makes people not like to eat stripers. Bring a cooler with a 10 pounds of ice. You must care for the fish properly to maintain the best quality. Look for the quality color and use white meat for bait or chum.
 
birdsnest said:
The healthy stripers definitely taste better. I just came off of a 5 day fishing trip with of my pals and tried to "convince" them that striper can be firm and tasty. Most liked it, but of course some wouldn't try it. I use a bbq recipe that uses a little bacon and spices that usually makes a great striper meat but I have found that the quality of the fish impacts the quality of the meat
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I would like to see that recipe if I dont need to be killed after seeing it.

Thanks!
 
If the flesh is opaque, toss it in the lake!

I also notice the marginal ones are harder to filet. You end up with so many at LP, there is not point in going to the trouble of fileting any that that are in less than good condition..........
 
Yes, putting the fish on ice quickly is a big part of firm meat.
Powelldreamer said:
I would like to see that recipe if I dont need to be killed after seeing it.

Thanks!
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Lay out about 3' of tin foil, sprinkle garlic powder,onion powder ,salt and pepper and any other spice you want on about 9 inches of the foil at the end. Lay enough striper fillets to cover the sprinkled area. (It can be more than 9"). Sprinkle the top of the fillets and lay 1 strip of bacon cut in half(2 short pieces) on the top of the fillets. Fold the tin foil into a rectangular or square packet. Remember which side the bacon is on. Fold the edges of the tin foil to seal the packet. Put the bacon side of the packet up and perforate the tin foil with a fork about 10 times. Put the packet on the bbq fork holes up. Cook 6 to 8 minutes flip it over and cook other side same time but the last minute use a spatula to "squeeze" the packet several times. This will allow the fish oils and bacon grease to come out of the fork holes. Put something under the packet to catch the oils. I never cut out the blood line when cooking the fillets this way but never tasted "fishy". Cook it on the 8 minute side for kids and those who are already turning up their nose not as tender but also more chunky.
 
I've never cared for stripers, even healthy ones. You must get all of that muscle meat out of them, and they still have a texture when cooked that I don't like. The out side mushes up while the inside is still raw. Deep frying is the only way I can really eat them, and I shouldn't eat deep fried foods. I believe white bass are far superior than their striper cousins. I caught lots of them at Bull Shoals Lake as a kid and quite a few from Lake Pleasant when I fished there. As for Lake Powell, the smallmouths, walleyes and catfish are far superior table fare in my humble opinion. :)

Ed Gerdemann
 
That's afact but someone has to motivate people to try and eat them. I tried every recipe known to man and the one I wrote down is the only one that works for me. Not my recipe by the way. I learned it from a fellow named Conrad Beck who has passed on.
 
I just made some striper in a mushroom gravy tonight for my daughter and i, cause moms out of town, that we both loved! Great meal.
 
Lake Powell striper is like elk, deer, or antelope (actually more like antelope). The table fare is directly relative to the care at harvest. Stripers caught on our boat are immediately dropped into a cooler with ice while having a gill arch cut to bleed them out while the heart is still beating. At least once every two hours we stop, fillet the fish on the boat, and bag the fillets. Then back on ice. If we're not eating them for dinner they are vacuum-packed that evening and frozen. When they are thawed for cooking I cut off the majority of the red meat. Striper cared for in this way rivals any white fish meat out there. Spices and elaborate recipes are nice too, but not at all necessary.
 
GPSPOWELL said:
Lake Powell striper is like elk, deer, or antelope (actually more like antelope). The table fare is directly relative to the care at harvest. Stripers caught on our boat are immediately dropped into a cooler with ice while having a gill arch cut to bleed them out while the heart is still beating. At least once every two hours we stop, fillet the fish on the boat, and bag the fillets. Then back on ice. If we're not eating them for dinner they are vacuum-packed that evening and frozen. When they are thawed for cooking I cut off the majority of the red meat. Striper cared for in this way rivals any white fish meat out there. Spices and elaborate recipes are nice too, but not at all necessary.
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We do much the same. All of them go immediately on ice and each day we fillet them then vacuum seal and freeze immediately. I often go home and give much of it away because we often have too much for our family. I almost feel guilty releasing any striper because of the potential impact it has on the lake. I may follow your direction and occasionally fillet some throughout the day. This would mean less time doing it at the fish cleaning station and more room in the cooler for more stripers.
 
birdsnest said:
Yes, putting the fish on ice quickly is a big part of firm meat.

Lay out about 3' of tin foil, sprinkle garlic powder,onion powder ,salt and pepper and any other spice you want on about 9 inches of the foil at the end. Lay enough striper fillets to cover the sprinkled area. (It can be more than 9"). Sprinkle the top of the fillets and lay 1 strip of bacon cut in half(2 short pieces) on the top of the fillets. Fold the tin foil into a rectangular or square packet. Remember which side the bacon is on. Fold the edges of the tin foil to seal the packet. Put the bacon side of the packet up and perforate the tin foil with a fork about 10 times. Put the packet on the bbq fork holes up. Cook 6 to 8 minutes flip it over and cook other side same time but the last minute use a spatula to "squeeze" the packet several times. This will allow the fish oils and bacon grease to come out of the fork holes. Put something under the packet to catch the oils. I never cut out the blood line when cooking the fillets this way but never tasted "fishy". Cook it on the 8 minute side for kids and those who are already turning up their nose not as tender but also more chunky.
Click to expand...
Thanks Birdnest
 
(healthy) Striper and smallies make some great same day ceviche. take a bag of lime, pico, jalap., cilantro, crackers and cheese . don't for get your favorite drink
 
birdsnest said:
That's afact but someone has to motivate people to try and eat them. I tried every recipe known to man and the one I wrote down is the only one that works for me. Not my recipe by the way. I learned it from a fellow named Conrad Beck who has passed on.
Click to expand...

I agree, but we all have different tastes. For instance, I'm not wild about crappie (too mushy for me) nor do I particularly care for rainbow trout, however I know people who absolutely love to eat both species. I don't mind northern pike, but I know many folks who won't touch them. I don't care for tilapia (caught and ate quite a few of them when I lived in Yuma), but I know people who think it's great. I don't care for the taste or texture of stripers, and I've prepared and eaten them a bunch of different ways. The late Bob Hirsch, one of the best fish and wildlife cooks ever, fixed them several ways when he went fishing with me a few years before his death and I still didn't care for them. I guess it's just a matter of taste. ;)

Ed Gerdemann
 
Just another idea you may want to try. I like my stripers bottled. I try and cut off the red meat and put them into pint bottles with a squirt of catchup, teaspoon of salt and tablespoon of vinegar and pressure them for 110 minutes. Then I mix them up with mayo, onion, and pickle relish and eat them on sandwiches or crackers.

I also like trout this way, and sometimes I put them into my smoker for a while before bottling them to give them that smoky taste. Have an electric pressure cooker that does everything so it is easy. Just put them in, set the time, and take them out. When camping this works good if there is power available, or I run the generator and then you don't have to worry about the fish spoiling or keeping them cold. Every time I open a bottle it is gone when I go back for more.
 
Ed G, how do the Tilapia fight? They are shaped like a Bluegill, and I love the fight of a Blue gill, and they are my favorite, on the table. I'm sure the Talapia, are better fresh, and like any fish, it's different, tasting out of different lake's, it's all about the different feed, each lake has. I'm like you Ed, I here so many say Crappie is there favorite, but I would rather have Bluegill, then Crappie. But to me, Lake Powell fish are good, and deep fried, it's hard to tell them apart. "THERE ALL VERY GOOD".
Have a good one Ed, and evereyone, enjoy your fish, what ever your favorite is.
 
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