# Gar??



## Tunarun (Jun 23, 2016)

Ok, so people keep telling me that gar is edible. Tastes like chicken.... No seriously does anyone have a recipe? Are the big ones or small ones best? And how the heck do you clean one of those strange creatures?

:an5:


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Gotta be over about 30 pounds to be worth messing with.
YouTube is your friend on how to clean.
They are delicious! I like to ball out the back strap meat, cover in Hooter Wing sauce and bake. The meat is awesome. Check out a fish market the meat is almost twice as much as catfish.....delicious.


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## 2Ws (Jun 28, 2016)

COTTON comes to mind


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## ksk (Aug 9, 2008)

*Gar*

My grandmother would make gar balls.She would mix gar with mashed potatoes and roll them in corn meal.Then would fry them like hush puppies.


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## steverino (Mar 8, 2006)

*Gar/Catan*

I have had some several times and it can be good! Don't cut the meat away from the "shell" too close (OK, waste a little) or it will be tough/rubbery. Season well (must be able to taste a little salt) and deep fry. Eat hot and, of course, with a cold beer! It is even better when you are really hungry! Meat is white and firm, not mushy for sure!


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

My wife adds shrimp cut into pieces ad spices like crab cakes. Similar taste but much more affordable than crab cakes.


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## P (Nov 18, 2012)

*Gar*

I like the 2 to 3 ft gar the best. Cut off the 2 back straps and belly meat cube it . Tonys , black pepper , flour and fry. Never rinse or freeze the meat. Makes it spongy. Clean it and cook it all, then you can freeze it after it's cooked. As for the big ones , going to do some experimenting . Thinking about running through meat grinder and trying different seasonings and patty frying. Any input would be helpful and I will post the results. Thanks.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I worked on a building in So. Louisiana years ago that was next to a fish market.Some days the sign out by the road would light up and say,"we have garfish". It wouldn't be on a couple hrs. then they'd turn it off.My Great Grandpa grew up to 16 years old on the southern Alabama Mississippi border,and he ate gar and soft shell turtle,but I never could learn to like either. I've noticed over the years true fish lovers that eat canned salmon,sardines,raw oysters like gar. It is pretty meat.


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

Back strap from big gar is fine eating. The meat in the lower portion is separated by somewhat tough dividing tissues. Don't know term for it. Put slabs of that in the fridge. Next day, scrape meat off those separations. Do not eat the separations. Use scraper meat for fish cakes or faux crab cakes.


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

I was eating at Mambo's the other day and my curiosity almost got the best of me. I thought about ordering a plate, but like sgrem said, itâ€‹ was a lot more than the 2 piece fish and 4 shrimps for $7:99 or something like that, so I passed.

There are a lot that swim on my bulk head and have thought many of times about catching one and frying it up. I need to try one someday.


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

Don't eat the roe. Gar eggs are toxic and will make you sick.


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

Ah, Mambos.

I cannot get enough of Mambo's scampi dish with squid, octopus and shrimp. So sweet and delicious.

However, caution, waitress told me all their fish, unless menu says species such as red snapper, is basa (from Viet Cong Delta). It's not seafood, and it's not something I'll eat.

They will serve their soup and remove the basa on request. Not bad soup at all. Full of goodies. First few spoons taste a bit "fishy", but that mellows out as you dig in for more.


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## P (Nov 18, 2012)

Ready.Fire.Aim said:


> Don't eat the roe. Gar eggs are toxic and will make you sick.


Wonder who figured that one out


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

P said:


> Wonder who figured that one out


And lived long enough to write the report too. sad_smiles


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## claydeaux96 (Aug 2, 2016)

Paul Prudhomme has a good gar patties recipe...knock your socks off good...prep is #1...fresh caught..clean ASAP..cooled down in ice water and kept cold until needed for cooking ..no more than a few days.

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