I grew up catching croaker with my dad in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Loved this video and masterful knife skills on that whole fish. Great job as usual, Reed!
I live by the Chesapeake Bay and I fish a lot, especially during the warmer months. I try to catch flounder and redfish, but I catch plenty of croakers and spots too. I give them away or let them go. They're usually not big enough to be worth eating in my opinion. But I should try them if I catch any big ones.
Can’t catch big ones anymore in Maryland commercial fishermen wiped them out I remember catching 14-16 inch croakers 6 months out of the year Now, today you would be lucky to catch 9 inch croakers In Maryland sad
Swim bladder when dried/dehydrated is called fish maw, used in Asian soups due to its high collagen content. Also really pricy, you can make a quite the profit from the Asian demographic.
Looks like I’m not alone… growing up on the upper Texas Coast in the 70’s my Family Dinner was often Croakers & Whiting… Best time was the Fall Runs for the Golden Croaker. They ran a pound and a half to three pounds, and we’d often catch ‘em two at a time on double drop rigs. Rollover Pass was one of the best places to catch ‘em… along with Flounder, Reds and Speckled Trout. Rollover Pass and Gilchrist, Texas are gone now… Hurricane Ike Removed Gilchrist in 2008 and the State of Texas filled in Rollover Pass in 2019-2020. Cheers!
It still pisses me off that the state wouldn't invest the money to keep Rollover open. Closing it had to have negative effects on East Bay salinity and freshness.
I fish mainly out of Galveston Texas and we use croaker for bait so much out here that we don't see them get very big. Those are the biggest croaker I've ever seen and yes indeed they are delicious. Great video.
@@reedthefishmonger I fish primarily the Galveston jetties where all the big game species will hit the croaker… red drum, black drum, speckled trout, shark, jacks. Every so often if I catch a few big croaker I will fillet them up no doubt. You have a great UA-cam channel and I enjoy watching your videos. Great work, brother.
@reedthefishmonger with Spot, I always scaled, gutted, and fried. With croaker I always fileted them. I enjoyed seeing how you prepared them in this video, will definitely have to try!
Loved the knife skills, I would not attempt those extra cuts on the second method, otherwise I'd be left with an unusable fish. Perfect sized fish for using a parchment paper parcel to bake/steam the fish in the oven. Fill its insides with a couple of lime wedges, make a paste in a mortar and pestle of coriander/cilantro roots, ginger and lemon grass. Put some diagonal slashes on both sides of the body, smother with some more of the paste and add some chili and garlic to taste with a squeeze of lime juice. Wrap in the parcel, then place in the oven to steam. If you get the timing/temp right, the flesh should effortlessly pull away from the bones. Awesome video as always Reed, thank you so much 🤩
Its a shame that so few restaurants have the 'butterfly' option for their fish, especially fine dining establishments. Not only is butterflying the fish is a great way to cook, the presentation is unbeatable on a plate.
Love watching your videos. We caught Croakers in the Chesapeake Bay up in MD. We also called them hardhead, we also call the striped bass Rock fish. Both fish are fun to hook and reel in! Keep up the good work, I learned how to filet a Grouper watching your videos. Living down in Florida, fishing is different but fun.
We were in Key West a few years ago and my wife ordered fish and almost fainted when it arrived because it was a whole fish with the head and fins still attached. I don't remember what it was, maybe red snapper, but I do remember that I ended up with the whole fish and she ate my conch fritters that I was so looking forward to enjoying.
Nicely butterflyed croaker right there that's how I prep my horse mackerel and bullet tuna for a quick fry in the pan and like you just said more area for seasoning
Haven’t seen croaker that big in VA in quite a few years. Used to go out live bait striper fishing and get bored so I’d drop a piece of squid over and catch two pound croaker all night. I believe the world record was caught here, somewhere in the 8lb neighborhood.
Okay so serious question: why is it such a big deal to let fresh water touch the filets? We don’t bleed out our fish so when we filet them I was taught to rinse the filets with freshwater before bagging them up. My grandpa taught me that who has been doing that since the 50’s.
You are a maestro! Only recently discovered your channel, so icthyologically informative! Need to look back through your old vids to find if you ever made one on your origins at how you got so good at this!
We'd catch croaker in South Louisiana but much smaller. I love watching you butcher these fish to gain best yield every time. I'll have the whole, skin-on, scaled, deep fry in peanut oil, please!
8:46 I would remember that advise when I'm eating with my genz son , if i wasn't myself "gen z" and has been eating fish whole my entire life except for tuna steaks .
For some reason, the algorithm decided that I would enjoy watching a man cut up a fish and use the word "meat" a lot and it wasn't wrong. I am not sure why I am so fascinated with Reed's videos. I barely fish and certainly don't eat seafood nearly enough to justify my love of this channel.
Very well done, sir! Excellent technique. Have you ever tried to debone American Shad? I think it is one of the best and richest tasting fish out there. I did this a couple of times for my grandad at the Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City NC and it was especially rewarding. With broiled shad it’s either pull out the bones or enjoy a long dinner that has plenty of time for the accompanying adult beverages. Ther is one other way; My friend gets it fried and eats the bones, haha!
We get a similar fish here in Australia but we call them silver grunter or propper name silver javelin looks almost identical tidal but not quite and they get way bigger than that
I really hate people that said it's taste fishy I don't want my fish to taste like chicken I earthere cook my fish on a grill or deep fry parts but thank you for sharing removal of the skin of the fish your awesome
Another great tutorial! Question on not using fresh water on exposed meat. Does this apply only to salt water species of fish or salt and fresh water fish?
Blame the quota system for the cost of Snapper. Most of the catch has been bought up by a fraction of the fishermen who then sell off those rights. It’s absolutely disgraceful what’s been done to the red snapper fishery. People really need to learn how despicable the Snapper fishery in the gulf has become. It’s so expensive not because of demand but because of the people who bought up the quota and then sell it off. The whole system is fucked and it needs to be fixed ASAP. And if your Gen Z kid doesn’t want to eat what you put in front of them tell them they’re more than welcome to move out, pay their own bills and buy their own food. They’ll absolutely love that, especially in this current economy. NEVER kowtow to whining children. You tell them “this is what’s for dinner, eat it or you’re getting it for breakfast, then lunch, then dinner again and so on until you eat your food and appreciate the fact you’re being fed by the work of others while you sit on your ungrateful ass and do nothing”. NEVER bend the knee to children.
The kid thing was a joke my friend. The quota system is terrible. The only people you will find who disagree are the quota holders. Have you called/ written to the local/state government or gone to any of the meetings? Hope you have a great day.
Can’t catch big ones anymore in Maryland commercial fishermen wiped them out I remember catching 14-16 inch croakers 6 months out of the year Now, today you would be lucky to catch 9 inch croakers In Maryland sad.
You could’ve should’ve would’ve been a surgeon, I’m heading to Florida this week for the season. I may take a ride down to see you and negotiate a really good price on some really good fish. Get ready to negotiate.
In New Jersey we used to catch croakers like crazy add so many I used to use them for blue crab bait it is kind of hard to get the bones out to n another fish that is prevalent to New Jersey Waters is a they call them black fish or togue voice recognition won't spell togue right but I would love to see you get some of them and fillet The black fish also known as slippery Bass they are a wreck fish they enjoy being around structure very hard to catch these and they only grow 1 inch per year so they put a lot of restrictions on them I think you're only allowed to keep one per day since you're the fishmonger you should know what I'm talking about but it's a northern fish that lives on Rex and jetties and they have teeth like rocks which they use to eat crustaceans best tasting fish in the world I know friends of mine from New Jersey that have tattoos of the togue on their necks againI'm probably not spelling the fish's name the right way cool looking fish amazingly hard to catch them I would love to see you get some of those cuz it won't spell the proper name
I think you wear gloves in your shop for hygiene reasons. However, do you think they improve your grip on fish and do they help to minimize your hands from getting cold? Never tried them cleaning fish. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Spatchcocking a fish i didn't know it was a thing I've made a spatchcock turkey cut out spine lay flat on sheet pan cooks a bird in a fraction of the time
I'm not sure which southerners You're talking about. I've been a southerner for many many years. Many people might want to eat fried fish with the bone still in it. I do not. I fillet anything I catch even a little tiny bluegill.
I grew up catching croaker with my dad in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Loved this video and masterful knife skills on that whole fish. Great job as usual, Reed!
Thanks, man! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Yep we love them and spots in N.C.
I live by the Chesapeake Bay and I fish a lot, especially during the warmer months. I try to catch flounder and redfish, but I catch plenty of croakers and spots too. I give them away or let them go. They're usually not big enough to be worth eating in my opinion. But I should try them if I catch any big ones.
Its hard to get big ones in MD unless youre on a headboat. My pb is only 10.5inch
Can’t catch big ones anymore in Maryland commercial fishermen wiped them out I remember catching 14-16 inch croakers 6 months out of the year
Now, today you would be lucky to catch 9 inch croakers In Maryland sad
LOVE THAT YOU SHOWED THE GUTTING PROCESS!! so often it is left out and its just as important to learn
Thank you for the feedback!
I got a few bags of crooker in the freezer. I usually fry them whole, but i now want to try that butterfly filet . Thanks for the video
Swim bladder when dried/dehydrated is called fish maw, used in Asian soups due to its high collagen content. Also really pricy, you can make a quite the profit from the Asian demographic.
North Carolina favorite, butterfly no head fried hard with white bread and texas pete
Can’t go wrong!
Whiting is another drum variant that is a staple in the Mid-Atlantic Coast states. So tasty fried whole.
Absolutely!
kINGFISH?
We get whiting off the Florida beaches too. Perfect for a fish fry after a day of beach fishing.
We get then up north too in MA. Tasty and one of the best baits for bluefin tuna.
@@dustyflair They look similar but whiting is milder and less dense.
Looks like I’m not alone… growing up on the upper Texas Coast in the 70’s my Family Dinner was often Croakers & Whiting… Best time was the Fall Runs for the Golden Croaker. They ran a pound and a half to three pounds, and we’d often catch ‘em two at a time on double drop rigs.
Rollover Pass was one of the best places to catch ‘em… along with Flounder, Reds and Speckled Trout. Rollover Pass and Gilchrist, Texas are gone now… Hurricane Ike Removed Gilchrist in 2008 and the State of Texas filled in Rollover Pass in 2019-2020.
Cheers!
It still pisses me off that the state wouldn't invest the money to keep Rollover open. Closing it had to have negative effects on East Bay salinity and freshness.
Damn those are some huge croaker 😮
Great fish for food and bait. My kids love it. And for sure those are some large croaker!
Croaker are a great bait for speckled trout along Texas coast!
They sure are! Thank you for watching!
Honestly! Croaker is my favorite fish next to Flounder and catfish!
Unbelievable knife skills exceeded only by the educated and professional demonstrations he shows while teaching his followers!
I fish mainly out of Galveston Texas and we use croaker for bait so much out here that we don't see them get very big. Those are the biggest croaker I've ever seen and yes indeed they are delicious. Great video.
Thank you brotha! They do make great bait, what are you dropping them for in your area?
@@reedthefishmonger I fish primarily the Galveston jetties where all the big game species will hit the croaker… red drum, black drum, speckled trout, shark, jacks. Every so often if I catch a few big croaker I will fillet them up no doubt. You have a great UA-cam channel and I enjoy watching your videos. Great work, brother.
They are hammered for bait. That's why so few get big. Not many of them, period.
I live in VA and we haven't seen croakers that size in years. We're waiting for their come back.
In the Chesapeake Bay, while everyone else is chasing striper, I'm filling my cooler with Spot and Croaker. Both are delicious.
Heck yeah! What’s your favorite way to prepare them!?
@reedthefishmonger with Spot, I always scaled, gutted, and fried. With croaker I always fileted them. I enjoyed seeing how you prepared them in this video, will definitely have to try!
Loved the knife skills, I would not attempt those extra cuts on the second method, otherwise I'd be left with an unusable fish.
Perfect sized fish for using a parchment paper parcel to bake/steam the fish in the oven. Fill its insides with a couple of lime wedges, make a paste in a mortar and pestle of coriander/cilantro roots, ginger and lemon grass. Put some diagonal slashes on both sides of the body, smother with some more of the paste and add some chili and garlic to taste with a squeeze of lime juice. Wrap in the parcel, then place in the oven to steam. If you get the timing/temp right, the flesh should effortlessly pull away from the bones.
Awesome video as always Reed, thank you so much 🤩
That recipe would work for the stripers you can get at Costco! 😋
Nice video, love the second style the way you dressed the fish, great job
Thanks so much! 🙏
Maaan you just took me home!!!! Oh how i miss croaker fishing. and yes, that thing is huge!!
I can't tell you the number of croakers I caught out of Lake Pontchartrain, N. of New Orleans as a kid in the 60's and 70's. Yum!
in brazil we call these CORVINA and I used to catch them oftem
This was a favorite of my father, but we never left the scales on or removed the skin. Great filleting skills.
Its a shame that so few restaurants have the 'butterfly' option for their fish, especially fine dining establishments. Not only is butterflying the fish is a great way to cook, the presentation is unbeatable on a plate.
It’s too hard for many fish preparers unless it’s ordered that way.
Wow I really enjoy watching your videos. Keep bringing the great content.
Thank you so much! 🙏
Great work as always.
I grew up in Norfolk Virginia I remember fishing and catching Crocker, spot and summer flounder in the bay as a kid
Sounds like great memories!
Croaker used to be one of my favorite fish to catch as a kid due to the noise they make. I grew up in Virginia and always fileted mine.
You really do elevate this skill to the level of art. Well done.
Dang, that's a big croaker.
Yes sir! 🙌
I've never seen one that big.
After becoming a fan of yours in the last month or so, I find myself saying “Tip of the knife, base of the ribs” at random times of the day!
You make it look so simple. You're a genius with a filet knife.
Love watching your videos. We caught Croakers in the Chesapeake Bay up in MD. We also called them hardhead, we also call the striped bass Rock fish. Both fish are fun to hook and reel in! Keep up the good work, I learned how to filet a Grouper watching your videos. Living down in Florida, fishing is different but fun.
Thanks you! Glad to hear my videos are helping! 🙏
Great job done , thank you 😉💪👍
Thank you for watching!
You're definitely a master fishmonger 🤜🌟🤛🐠🐠
We were in Key West a few years ago and my wife ordered fish and almost fainted when it arrived because it was a whole fish with the head and fins still attached. I don't remember what it was, maybe red snapper, but I do remember that I ended up with the whole fish and she ate my conch fritters that I was so looking forward to enjoying.
Loved the gen z wise crack!😂
😂
Nicely butterflyed croaker right there that's how I prep my horse mackerel and bullet tuna for a quick fry in the pan and like you just said more area for seasoning
Gosh, that technique of butterflying would work just as well on bass or walleye or large panfish. And what a fun presentation. I like it!
1st Watch, 1st Like & 1st Comment on yet another stellar tutorial from the one, the only, "Reed The Fish Monger!"
Thank you so much, I appreciate it! 🙏
Them is the biggest croaker I've ever seen
No lie
If eating a whole fish (meaning smallish), I really like bone-in. Another interesting video!
I’m right there with you! Thank you for watching 🙏
Yellow fin and spot fin croaker are popular recreational fish that are often harvested to take home here in socal. Good eating.
I love your instructional videos Reed!!Thank you
Raised on the Gulf Coast of Alabama we caught Croakers but we never ate them, we used them as bait to catch better fish.
Great demo and breakdown as usual. Top class!
Awesome vid as always! Entertaining and educational!
Haven’t seen croaker that big in VA in quite a few years. Used to go out live bait striper fishing and get bored so I’d drop a piece of squid over and catch two pound croaker all night. I believe the world record was caught here, somewhere in the 8lb neighborhood.
Okay so serious question: why is it such a big deal to let fresh water touch the filets? We don’t bleed out our fish so when we filet them I was taught to rinse the filets with freshwater before bagging them up. My grandpa taught me that who has been doing that since the 50’s.
It's said that the meat absorbs the fresh water. I'm not really sure the difference it makes , but I've been hearing it a lot lately.
Excellent content. Thanks, Reed!
You are a maestro! Only recently discovered your channel, so icthyologically informative! Need to look back through your old vids to find if you ever made one on your origins at how you got so good at this!
We'd catch croaker in South Louisiana but much smaller. I love watching you butcher these fish to gain best yield every time.
I'll have the whole, skin-on, scaled, deep fry in peanut oil, please!
grew up catching and eating croaker. We jokingly call them singing bass.
Singing Bass 😂 love it!
I enjoy your channel for such great info on the varied fish species.
Thank you for watching!
Dad used to bring us little croakers. Fry whole and hard. With cheesy buttery grits.
Excellent knife skills and explanations. Subscribed.
Welcome aboard! Thank you for watching 🙏
8:46 I would remember that advise when I'm eating with my genz son , if i wasn't myself "gen z" and has been eating fish whole my entire life except for tuna steaks .
0:14 Lil guys! So cool
I catch croaker all the time it’s the main fish that hits my line when using small pieces of shrimp and good eating
I miss rhe jumbo croakers! Fun fishing!
And delicious!
For some reason, the algorithm decided that I would enjoy watching a man cut up a fish and use the word "meat" a lot and it wasn't wrong. I am not sure why I am so fascinated with Reed's videos. I barely fish and certainly don't eat seafood nearly enough to justify my love of this channel.
Because it’s nice to see a skilled professional do his thing!
Thanks!
So informative and skilled. Surgical dude 👍.
Thank you so much!
Excellent as always Reed, fried right the meat comes right off the bones but i get most bones freak some people out.
I know, some people get scared of the bones, but you're right, the meat falls off so easily!
Very well done, sir! Excellent technique. Have you ever tried to debone American Shad? I think it is one of the best and richest tasting fish out there. I did this a couple of times for my grandad at the Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City NC and it was especially rewarding. With broiled shad it’s either pull out the bones or enjoy a long dinner that has plenty of time for the accompanying adult beverages. Ther is one other way; My friend gets it fried and eats the bones, haha!
We get a similar fish here in Australia but we call them silver grunter or propper name silver javelin looks almost identical tidal but not quite and they get way bigger than that
Catch those all the time in Panama City. Lots of pin bones, but delicious. Roasted whole 😋 yum
The fry makes great trout bait under a cork..
Huge croaker, I didn't even recognize it!!
I really hate people that said it's taste fishy I don't want my fish to taste like chicken I earthere cook my fish on a grill or deep fry parts but thank you for sharing removal of the skin of the fish your awesome
Man I’d really love to get one of those butterflied croakers
Come on down!
In Trinidad we call them Cro Cro 😂
Scale it,no fillet just slice it up and fry.
you and your camera man are professionals for sure!
Another great tutorial! Question on not using fresh water on exposed meat. Does this apply only to salt water species of fish or salt and fresh water fish?
Some of the best eats and good fish
And snook love 'em too!
Blame the quota system for the cost of Snapper. Most of the catch has been bought up by a fraction of the fishermen who then sell off those rights. It’s absolutely disgraceful what’s been done to the red snapper fishery. People really need to learn how despicable the Snapper fishery in the gulf has become. It’s so expensive not because of demand but because of the people who bought up the quota and then sell it off. The whole system is fucked and it needs to be fixed ASAP.
And if your Gen Z kid doesn’t want to eat what you put in front of them tell them they’re more than welcome to move out, pay their own bills and buy their own food. They’ll absolutely love that, especially in this current economy. NEVER kowtow to whining children. You tell them “this is what’s for dinner, eat it or you’re getting it for breakfast, then lunch, then dinner again and so on until you eat your food and appreciate the fact you’re being fed by the work of others while you sit on your ungrateful ass and do nothing”. NEVER bend the knee to children.
The kid thing was a joke my friend. The quota system is terrible. The only people you will find who disagree are the quota holders. Have you called/ written to the local/state government or gone to any of the meetings? Hope you have a great day.
I wish I lived closer to your store - as the fish where I live is supermarket terrible .
I wish you were close enough for me to help too! Hard to beat fresh fish!
Can’t catch big ones anymore in Maryland commercial fishermen wiped them out I remember catching 14-16 inch croakers 6 months out of the year
Now, today you would be lucky to catch 9 inch croakers In Maryland sad.
I didn't khow they got that big, nice!
Definitely nice ones!
Do you find worms in the croakers very often, especially the larger ones?
No sir
Took a look at your link tree,
Was wondering if you ship?
Thank you for checking us out! We don’t ship fish yet but hoping to soon! 🙌
🦩and 🐟. Another classic. Og°
🙏🙏🙏
BRAVO!!!!!!
You could’ve should’ve would’ve been a surgeon, I’m heading to Florida this week for the season. I may take a ride down to see you and negotiate a really good price on some really good fish. Get ready to negotiate.
In New Jersey we used to catch croakers like crazy add so many I used to use them for blue crab bait it is kind of hard to get the bones out to n another fish that is prevalent to New Jersey Waters is a they call them black fish or togue voice recognition won't spell togue right but I would love to see you get some of them and fillet The black fish also known as slippery Bass they are a wreck fish they enjoy being around structure very hard to catch these and they only grow 1 inch per year so they put a lot of restrictions on them I think you're only allowed to keep one per day since you're the fishmonger you should know what I'm talking about but it's a northern fish that lives on Rex and jetties and they have teeth like rocks which they use to eat crustaceans best tasting fish in the world I know friends of mine from New Jersey that have tattoos of the togue on their necks againI'm probably not spelling the fish's name the right way cool looking fish amazingly hard to catch them I would love to see you get some of those cuz it won't spell the proper name
Taotog is a killer fish!
Love to watch your videos, wondering have you ever processed a northern pike?
Ok, I guess fresh water touching it is similar to fresh water touching oysters, etc. But how do you clean them after catching then?
Deep fried with lime pepper fish sauce on the side
Yes please! 🙌
In Montserrat, we call them coco
I used to use them as aim training for my pole spear and speargun
My dad grew up a couple islands down on Dominica. 🤙
Reed do u sell the scaler? Could u.
I think you wear gloves in your shop for hygiene reasons. However, do you think they improve your grip on fish and do they help to minimize your hands from getting cold? Never tried them cleaning fish. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Man, a fishmonger with a YT channel. Why didn't I think of that?! What part of the country is your business?
bon boulot ! bonjour depuis Arcachon, France je suis formateur en poissonnerie
♫ I Want To Reach Out. ♫ And Touch The Flame. ♫ How This Fish Got It's Name. ♫
Spatchcocking a fish i didn't know it was a thing I've made a spatchcock turkey cut out spine lay flat on sheet pan cooks a bird in a fraction of the time
Almost twice as big as any I’ve ever caught in North Carolina.
I'm not sure which southerners You're talking about. I've been a southerner for many many years. Many people might want to eat fried fish with the bone still in it. I do not. I fillet anything I catch even a little tiny bluegill.
To each their own brotha! Do what you enjoy and don’t care what people say 🤙
one of the batter eatign fish out there
👍🏽👍🏽
🙏🙌
Croaker are for ceviche.
Haven’t used them in ceviche but they have the right texture/fat content
We call them whiting in Florida
They look very similar but are different 🤙
@ yeah I was just talking shit, sorry 😂
Croaker is a good fish to eat