# Sheepshead



## stdreb27 (Aug 15, 2011)

How come no one told me sheepshead are probably the best tasting fish in texas waters?

Almost tossed it back, decided to keep it. And do it up. Anyway, besides having to pick through some bones, and being a booger to clean. This fish is excellent.










Tossed him on some mesquite charcoal with salt pepper, mustard powder, basil and olive oil.

Topped it with a butter sauce. Had some tomato, garlic shrimp etc. I'm gonna start targeting them now...


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

It's good eating, but the cleaning and cutting the filet was not worth it.


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

SHHHHH! its a pain to clean but, my BIL turned me on to them and they are almost as good as flounder. Yes I said it!


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## saltwatercowboy (Oct 1, 2009)

in my opinion not worth the hassle cleaning, ill stick to redfish on the halfshell. But glad you enjoyed looks like good plate of food.


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## stdreb27 (Aug 15, 2011)

SeaY'all said:


> SHHHHH! its a pain to clean but, my BIL turned me on to them and they are almost as good as flounder. Yes I said it!


Heck, better than flounder at least I have a sheep's head jump on my hook every once in a while.


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## tspitzer (Feb 7, 2013)

we gutted some a while back and put them on the grill turned them once th skin fell off and the meat was great--it did really screw up the grill at the conds we stayed at I built another fire to clean it up--


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## Outwest (Aug 16, 2007)

Catch a bunch and take them to the fish cleaning house while you wait have a cold libation and take in the scenery.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

I don't think that Sheepies are really that bad to filet. The key is to not cut through, but rather under or around scales, a don't try cutting through the ribs.

Start by cutting down along the backbone VERY close to the spines. The closer that you are, the less you have to deal with scales. After the initial cut, follow the backbone spines down to the ribs, and then gradually work your way out and around them. You can cut out through the skin from the underside where the ribs almost touch the skin if you want.

When you make your cut behind the gills, hold your knife at a shallow angle so that your knife can slide under some of the scales, rather than cutting through them. Sheepies and Flounder are both right at the top of the "good eats" list.


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## CaptBrad (Dec 29, 2007)

http://t.basspro.com/Dexter-Russell...t/72220/?utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/

I keep one of these handy for sheepies. Makes it quick and easy to get throught he scales, then swap back to regular filet knife to finish with., just cut around the ribs and not through them and youll be fine.


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## captMike (Jan 30, 2006)

When cleaning a goat cut him around the head and split the belly open, lay him with top fin facing you, start at back of top fin, the armor plate will open if you run you knife point in and twist it down, the skin and scales are loose and you can insert knife and cut to head, cut only to back bone, like you would a drum or red. Cut from fin to tail, with long sturdy blade cut thru to belly gettin last 3 bibs and cut to tail, grab tail and ribs will break off, same as drum and reds.
Cleaning sheephead after you get the hang of it are as fast as a red or drum.
Good luck and enjoy, if you cut him when icing him down, he bleed out.


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## oc48 (Aug 13, 2005)

Dick Hanks said:


> I don't think that Sheepies are really that bad to filet. The key is to not cut through, but rather under or around scales, a don't try cutting through the ribs.
> 
> Start by cutting down along the backbone VERY close to the spines. The closer that you are, the less you have to deal with scales. After the initial cut, follow the backbone spines down to the ribs, and then gradually work your way out and around them. You can cut out through the skin from the underside where the ribs almost touch the skin if you want.
> 
> When you make your cut behind the gills, hold your knife at a shallow angle so that your knife can slide under some of the scales, rather than cutting through them. Sheepies and Flounder are both right at the top of the "good eats" list.


this is guy is right. there is a soft spot right next to the spine/dorsal fin. sharp fillet knife slides right down the backbone.

When I have him opened up a little bit, I use an electric fillet knife, and open him up just like a red fish, cutting around the ribs. Not a lot of meat compared to the weight of the fish, but worth every oz! I had a blind taste test one time many years ago. Friends and family all swore up and down the sheepshead was the best by far!


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I didn't eat sheep or gafftops for lots of years until an old feller my family knew in Port A told me how good they were.I went to a big fish fry a couple weeks ago that the dude told everybody it was catfish fillets,but knew I'm salty and told me they were sail cats.I eat so much I was afraid it was going to screw up my beer drinking.Wish I had a freezer full of sheepies for the winter.


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## oc48 (Aug 13, 2005)

never done the gaftop....just can't get past the slime LOL.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Darn good eating fish. Like trigger fish around the rigs. Probably better than snapper but tough to clean. Most say to filet them backwards.


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## Txredfish (Oct 27, 2010)

Cleaning sheepshead is not any harder than redfish or drum. Just cut around the bones and not through them .................


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Use a Sawzall with a metal cutting blade to take the heads off. Speeds things up a LOT!


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

sheepies make great ceviche try it


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## GulfCoast1102 (Dec 30, 2013)

Txredfish said:


> Cleaning sheepshead is not any harder than redfish or drum. Just cut around the bones and not through them .................


This is precisely correct! I always hear people whining about how hard it is to clean redfish, sheepshead, and some others. Then i see them hacking through the rib bones, and i understand their problem.

No reason whatsoever to cut through the rib bones. Waste of time, and wears the knife edge out. Cutting around them isn't that hard to do.

Sheeps do have to be relatively large to get any decent filet off of them though. They have such a big head and bulky rib cage.


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## specsultan (Apr 2, 2009)

Dick Hanks said:


> I don't think that Sheepies are really that bad to filet. The key is to not cut through, but rather under or around scales, a don't try cutting through the ribs.
> 
> Start by cutting down along the backbone VERY close to the spines. The closer that you are, the less you have to deal with scales. After the initial cut, follow the backbone spines down to the ribs, and then gradually work your way out and around them. You can cut out through the skin from the underside where the ribs almost touch the skin if you want.
> 
> When you make your cut behind the gills, hold your knife at a shallow angle so that your knife can slide under some of the scales, rather than cutting through them. Sheepies and Flounder are both right at the top of the "good eats" list.


This ^^^

I make the first cut along the backbone with a Hawkbill knife. Works much better than anything I have tried. Once you get the hang of it, (been doing it for 40 + years) they are easy to clean. With the bigger fish, I leave the skin & scales on & do "Sheepshead on the halfshell". Try it, you'll like it!


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

specsultan said:


> This ^^^
> 
> I make the first cut along the backbone with a Hawkbill knife. Works much better than anything I have tried. Once you get the hang of it, (been doing it for 40 + years) they are easy to clean. With the bigger fish, I leave the skin & scales on & do *"Sheepshead on the halfshell"*. Try it, you'll like it!


I tried and was hell to fillet one....so, I threw all of them on the grill with heads and tails. After the heat did its number I simply peel the entire skin off.


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