Porgys

[rubberheels]

Are Porgys any good to eat? Or are the fishy tasting? I love fish and never tasted them.

[Ry609]

Try cooking them whole. Scale and gut first. Cut 3 or 4 diagonal slits on either side of the meat of the fish, baste with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fresh parsley, crushed red pepper 10 mins. on each side on the grill (stuck another whole clove inside with some butter where the guts used to be). That was the first time I ever cooked a fish whole and I loved it, very light and flaky. Want to try black sea bass that way next.

[kcritch]

Had them filleted and pan fried in a light coating of Louisiana Fish Fry...Tasty. Nice light flaky fish. No oily or "fishy" taste. They are very good eating. Enjoy

[Reelron]

Also very good for Cevechi !

[Jigman13]

I bleed them immediately upon catching them...as I do with all of my fish. Once bled out, get them on ice immediately. From here there's a lot you can do with them...here's 2 of my favorite ways to have them.

One of my favorite ways to eat them is sashimi or cerviche. I'll keep them buried in ice for 24-48 hrs before preparing for sashimi so they "loosen up". Fillet, skin, and strip out into 1/4" slices. Delightful meat with soy and Wasabi.

For cerviche, skin, fillet and fillet again to get 4 thin fillets from one fish...like thin slicing chicken breasts. Place each fillet on plastic wrap with ample space between them. Lightly whack the fillets with the back of a wooden spoon or meat mallet in an outward/ toward the edges motion. The fillets will increase in surface area and the meat becomes very tender. Do this until translucent. Cut pounder fillets into 1" wide strips and halve them cross ways creating sufficient bites. Lay pieces over cleaned bed or arugula. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. For marinade/sauce, blend lemon juice, peppadews, lime juice, black pepper, sea salt, gooood olive oil, finely minced garlic and dash of sriracha if u like heat. Find the balance of taste you prefer. Once you have it, drizzle over fish. I like to use a squirt bottle. Sprinkle on some finely chopped parsley. Recover and let chill 20-30 min. The citrus and salt will "cook" the meat a bit changing it from translucent to opaque. Preferred level of doneness is subjective. The peppery arugula pairs well with the citrus marinade. Drink with a hefeweizen beer or good sauv blanc like a Kim Crawford. Oooooo I'm f'n fancy!

[frugalfisherman]

I think porgy fillets are the best for deep frying. Lately I've been smoking them though. All the big ones you want on these offshore trips.

[bulletbob]

Personally, I find them pretty strong.. Not as bad as a big bluefish, but to a LOT of people, they are much stronger tasting than sea bass, tog ling, etc...
Not greasy like blues, but strong- kind of gamey.. I talk to a lot of guys on head boats that give them away, and just keep the sea bass, ling and tog... I would rather eat a 2 pound bluefish than a 2 pound porgy... Some people like them, a lot do not. I eat them, not crazy about them -they are a lot stronger than other bottom fish.... bob

[Pennsy Guy]

Caught one on a fluke trip last year, if I catch another one I'm giving it to the first taker. Obviously I didn't like it. I agree with bulletbob...

[Chris G]

Best fish to smoke hands down. Fileted, skinned in the smoker.

[tautog]

Cut out the red meat down the center and it is not particularly strong or fishy. Good for ceviche, sahimi, fish tacos, etc.

[blindalfred]

Take the fillet you got from the mate and lay it skin side down on a cutting board. Cut along the lateral line from the head end to the tail with the knife held at a 45 degree angle. You will have one large strip and one small one with very little dark meat. Bread or batter fry the large one for a dynamite fish taco. Save the small pieces to add to a stew such as Cioppino or Bouillabaisse. Good luck with those center strips.

[Ice Cream Bill]

I totally agree with bulletbob and Pennsyguy. As an avid bottom fisher, I love catching and eating Black Sea bass, ling, and winter flounder. I catch many porgies but give them away--so much so, that I will swap them "2 for 1" with other anglers for sea bass. I find them extremely gamey even after removing the center red line.

They are extremely fun to catch and fight tenaciously for their size. If those would be willing to show me how to make sashimi or another way, I'm open to it.
Please feel free to PM me. Thanks!

Bill

[Jigman13]

Try it carpaccio style like I posted earlier.

[bulletbob]

Like many fish, the smaller ones are less strong.. years ago when I used to keep what we called "sand porgies" I liked them,, They were just smaller porgies from the bay and river, and were better tasting, less strong than the bigger ones we catch today out in the ocean.... bob

[reason162]

Bleed, ice, scale/finned...some thyme in the belly, a LOT of coarse sea salt + pepper, good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, right on the grill:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BK7EEtJjC5d/

[dfish28]

nice idea with that cage thing, never considered that!! I hope I am not the only one that was watching the fish get fully cooked for a while...:cool:^^^^^^^^^