Anyone have a favorite triggerfish recipe?

[eat_mo_crawfish]

Never cooked 'em before, and I understand they are great eating. I was planning on broiling them with the usual suspects (lemon, butter, etc.), but wonder if anyone here has suggestions. Thanks!!

[bait boy]

I personally would cut them up and use them for bait. They are to hard to fillet. Besides when they steal your bait all day shouldnt you feed them back to theirselves?

[Chalk]

Fried.......

[Tom Keels]

Depends on how you clean them. Our buddy from Turkey showed us the best way. Cut the head, tail, anal and dorsal fins off and then skin both sides like a catfish an fry the whole thing like a bream. There is very few things as good as those.

[Aucilla]

Perhaps typical of me, I have read a lot about it. And all I read say it is a REALLY fine eatin' fish. They say that the cleanin' is the struggle. Most recommend using a utility knife to skin it. Some say to skin it by cutting the skin from the inside out.

I saved a link on this once, and here are some quotes from it:

Simple. This technique was shown to me by an old commercial fisherman. Triggerfish can be cleaned without ruining your good knife if you cut the skin from the inside out. Use the point of your knife to make a small hole in front of the dorsal fin. Slide your knife in the hole and start cutting the skin with the sharp side of your knife touching the inside of the skin. Go all around the fillet, then fillet as normal. Repeat on the opposite side.

This is how I do it

AND

IT is actually VERY easy once someone shows you "the tricks". In short, as earlier post recommend, cut from inside to out. Start the first cut just behind the skull at the top, cut across the side to the anus. Then cut the skin along the top and bottom edge of the body. You will be able to lift the edge of the skin just behind the head and just peel it off. Then cut the filet away from the backbone as normal. BTW - they are GOOD!!!!!! eating....

Finally, all about trigger fish, check this out: http://espn.go.com/outdoors/general/col ... 35547.html

Here's a quote:

Actually, about a fourth of the triggerfish is edible, and filleting one isn't exceptionally hard. The trick is to cut from the tail to the gills, not vice-versa, then fillet the meat from the skin. Use a sharp, sturdy knife to slice through the leathery hide.

The thick, firm, white fillets are great on the grill — or broiled, or fried, or blackened. In fact, anything you can do with snapper, redfish or grouper is as good, or better, with triggerfish.

BTW, where DOES Tom learn all the stuff he knows??!![/url]

[eat_mo_crawfish]

Thanks for the info. They weren't too bad to clean with the electric fisherman. They were great fried.

[Aucilla]

Mmm, Mmm. I want me some.

[bait boy]

I guess I have been fishing with some really good bait. I will try it next time I catch one.