# Best way to cook Black Drum?



## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

I caught a black drum earlier in the week that was in the slot but let it go to fight another day. 

But what is the best way to cook this fish, bake, grilled, etc???


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

i is wondering the same thing


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## ATE_UP_FISHERMAN (Jun 25, 2004)

Cook it like a red fish. I like in the half shell, blackened, or fried.


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## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

ATE_UP_FISHERMAN said:


> Cook it like a red fish. I like in the half shell, blackened, or fried.


I thought it would be similar to a red fish but wasn't going to bet on it.


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

The August/September issue of CCA Currents has a good looking recipe for Black Drum. Just read it this evening and thought it sounded pretty good. Looks like any fish would work. If you do not have it pm me your email and I will send it to you.


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## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

SpeckReds said:


> The August/September issue of CCA Currents has a good looking recipe for Black Drum. Just read it this evening and thought it sounded pretty good. Looks like any fish would work. If you do not have it pm me your email and I will send it to you.


I actually have it, I'll look through it and find it. Thanks for the heads up.


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## Brian Castille (May 27, 2004)

A lof of people think black drum are "trash fish" but that is far from the truth. To me, they taste the same as a redfish and can be cooked the same way. Slot starts at 14 so you can get smaller fish to cook unlike redfish that start at 20. They are also harvested commercially and are often served in restaurants. Next time you get blackened redfish, you never know - might actually be black drum. Next time you catch a black drum and a redfish, cook both the same way and see if you can tell a difference.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

*Drum*



ATE_UP_FISHERMAN said:


> Cook it like a red fish. I like in the half shell, blackened, or fried.


Took the words (fish) right out of my mouth...so X-2 They can get too Big as long as there less than lets say 15 #and that # may be on high side.Once they get much bigger meat gets coarse (still edible butnot so good) cva34


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

^And wormy


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## Treble J (Mar 18, 2011)

Ceviche!


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Kids fried up all our middle slot drum and they were **** good, they fried reds along with them and honestly I liked the drum better.


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## alldaylong (Mar 6, 2011)

_*It's been my experience if you fried up reds, black drum, croaker and put them on the same plate, you might not be able to tell them apart. I've done it several times and fooled a few. However, when they are baked or done on the half shell they have a unique taste and texture of their own.*_


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

B drum in the lower slot tastes best. Whiter meat than the Red and a flavor all its own for a firm white feech.

Try this one whole with B Drum or a Sheepshead. I can dig a pic up if you like.. 
5 lbBlack drum; cleaned
6 ozTomato paste
1 16-oz cnTomatoes, whole, canned
7 tbFlour
1 cOnion; chopped
1/2 tsBasil
1 dsTabasco sauce
1 cBell pepper; chopped
1/2 cCooking oil
Salt and red pepper flakes; to taste
2 Lemons
4 cloveGarlic; chopped
1 cParsley; chopped
4 Bay Leaves
2 cWater
Black Drum Creole Preparation

Clean fish well,scoring on both sides at one inch intervals. Season fish well using salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice all over fish. Place in a heavy casserole dish and set aside. In a heavy black iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour and make a roux. Add seasonings, saute until done. Add tomato paste, tomatoes and water, blending well. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add rest of seasonings and season to taste. Cook approximately 20 minutes. Pour resulting gravy over fish. Cook uncovered in 350 oven for approx. 1 hour. Add water as necessary to retain volume. 

Also for: Sheepshead, Bull Croaker or other scaled fish. Source: Louisiana Conservationist Mar/Apr 88 Recipe date: 04/25/88


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## Cat1234 (Sep 4, 2012)

I cooked my first black drum this past weekend and fried it like catfish! It was wonderful! I am sure that it would be great grilled or blackend as well!! Really a great quality of meat.


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## ruffshod (Sep 23, 2010)

I eat a lot of drum as my dear mother loves them. Fried against reds, no difference in taste. Baked or grilled the texture comes into play and may throw you off of their equal flavor.


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## LPTXGUY03 (Jun 8, 2011)

Here you go

1 drum red or black

Fillet, leave on shell
Rinse fillets
Place fillets in a deep pan 
Melt half a stick of butter
Pour melted butter over fillets
Cover fillets with chef Paul prudhommes blackening seasoning
Lightly cover fillets with slap ya mama crawfish seasoning
Cover pan with aluminum foil
Place in oven for 40 minutes at 350

Call me when its done


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## yakinhoot (Jan 21, 2012)

*Fried*

My wife prefers all our fresh fish fried, im happy to oblige.


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## matterboy123 (Aug 24, 2011)

cva34 said:


> Took the words (fish) right out of my mouth...so X-2 They can get too Big as long as there less than lets say 15 #and that # may be on high side.Once they get much bigger meat gets coarse (still edible butnot so good) cva34


They also tend to have a lot of worms the bigger they get. We target them in the spring and only keep those in the 14 to 20 inch class. I have found that those over 20" tend to be filled with worms.

Put some batter on em and fry up is my favorite way to cook em'.


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## baron von skipjack (Jun 23, 2009)

fried...and,,,ONLY fried,,,,get some garlic zaratan,,,and some hot sauce to the batter...resturant quality,,,as RACHEL RAY says......YUM - O


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## djduke47823 (Jun 7, 2005)

*????*



Brian Castille said:


> A lof of people think black drum are "trash fish" but that is far from the truth. To me, they taste the same as a redfish and can be cooked the same way. Slot starts at 14 so you can get smaller fish to cook unlike redfish that start at 20. They are also harvested commercially and are often served in restaurants. Next time you get blackened redfish, you never know - might actually be black drum. Next time you catch a black drum and a redfish, cook both the same way and see if you can tell a difference.


 Well said...........


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

I only keep em from 18 - 22" ... but always Bleed them out ... it makes the meat so white


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

We love them.. I would rate the local bay fish as follows...

#1 flounder
#2 black drum (16 - 25")
#3 reds
#4 trout

Now how to cook those black drum...

Fillet them and then cut the fillets in half.
Make a mixture of dijon mustard and prepared horseradish
Slather the mixture on 1 side of the fillet
Dredge the fillets in panko breadcrumbs (just the one side with the dijon)
Saute in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil
Turn them to finish the other side

Enjoy...


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## another bob (Feb 10, 2006)

However you'd cook a redfish is right. I prefer black drum though. A couple years ago I took fresh filets from a drum, a redfish, and a trout and baked all 3 very simply to see which I liked best..... drum was the best of the 3 in my opinion.

Last week I had several and just put a few drops of olive oil in a pan, then sprinkled with some pepper and Old Bay, and very light amounts of red pepper, garlic powder. Then sauteed on each side. It was outstanding ! I generally serve with rice. 

A favorite (since I have a serious sweet-tooth) is to make coconut rice on the side. Just use a can of coconut water in place of regular water when you boil the rice and Voila, perfect coconut rice. (You can usually find Goya brand in the ethnic food section of HEB.... generally near the mexican or asian products.)


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## Lexy1 (Jul 12, 2012)

poppadawg said:


> ^And wormy


Good source of protein. :cop:


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## MNsurf (Oct 21, 2011)

I fry them with everything else. Then I give the dog the drum.


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## Kolorado_Koolaid (Mar 19, 2012)

don't eat the big guys. they get worms and parasites way worse then any other fish and become tough. but as far as the smaller ones, they can be decent on the half shell


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## texasdave (Aug 15, 2005)

*Hot and crunchy*

Almonds, sesame seeds, cornflakes, and red chile flakes make an intriguing coating for *fish* or *chicken*. This recipe is purportedly a favorite of former news anchorman Dan Rather.
*Prep Time: 15 minutes*

*Cook Time: 40 minutes*

*Total Time: 55 minutes*

*Yield: 6 to 8 servings*

*Ingredients:*


6 to 8 trout fillets, 8 ounces each (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 cups cornflakes
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons red chile flakes
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup flour
6 Tablespoons clarified butter
.
Mango Salsa or Mango Aioli (recipe links below)
*Preparation:*

Toast *almonds* and *sesame seeds* in a dry skillet until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.

Combine almonds, seeds, cornflakes, sugar, *chile* flakes, and salt in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form, still crunchy. Empty onto platter or baking sheet.

Whisk milk and eggs to make an egg wash. Put flour in a flat dish. Holding the trout fillet by the tail, dredge it in flour until well dusted. Pat off excess.

Pass the dusted *fish* fillet through the egg wash, wetting entire surface. Place fillet in crumb mixture, lightly pressing crumbs on the fillet with the palm of your hand. Remove and shake off excess. Set aside on a dry sheet pan or cookie sheet until all fillets are breaded.

In a large, heavy saute pan, heat 6 tablespoons clarified butter to about 325 degrees, or until parsley sizzles when tossed in.

Lay trout fillet (or chicken) skin-side up in hot pan. Saute for about 3 minutes on each side. It will cook to a golden, crunchy brown. Turn fillet once.

Place each fillet on a cookie sheet in warm oven (180 degrees) until you have completed this process for all fillets.

To serve the fish as it is presented at Hudson's on the Bend restaurant in Austin, Texas, prepare *Mango Jalapeno Sauce*, then *Mango Jalapeno Aioli*. Place aioli on the plate first, with the fish on top. From a squeeze bottle, squirt on stripes of plain Mango Jalapeno Sauce, which is orange-colored, on top of the fish.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• *Mango Jalapeno Aioli Recipe*
• *Mango Jalapeno Sauce Recipe*

This works well with a variety of fish


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