Freshwater Drum

[Jonny]

I've never tried freshwater drum (sheepshead). Common wisdom is that you can't eat 'em. Any opinions?

 

I caught several this evening, one of them about 7 lb. I'm thinking of trying to smoke them?

 

Saltwater drum, apparently closely related, are supposed to be good eating.

 

One of the names they go by has got to be one of the most interesting I've ever heard. In some places they call them "gasper goo" , a buggerization of the French "casse burgeau", meaning "shell or clam cracker".

 

They're damn good fighters, with that broad deep body. Kind of halfway between a pickerel and a pike. They fight for the bottom, but they also circle around.

 

---

 

EDIT - the program changed "b*stardization" to "buggerization" --- I guess that's better!?

Edited June 10, 2009 by Jocko Point Jonny

[Roy]

a buggerization of the French "casse burgeau", meaning "shell or clam cracker"

 

EDIT - the program changed "b*stardization" to "buggerization" --- I guess that's better!?

 

I should also change the program to translate it to "bourgot" then, which is the correct spelling of that word.

[Jonny]

The name "Gasper Goo" is an English mispronunciation of the French name "Casse burgau" (mussel breaker). Freshwater mussels are a favored prey item of this fish.

 

I was trying to spell it from memory, having seen this article some time ago. I was close.

 

The thing about "b*stardization was more a joke than a criticism. I know you block certain words and I have no problem with that.

[bigugli]

Tastes fine smoked. The Gram would use them in "Fish head soup" /chowder. The old timers let little go to waste.

[Garry2Rs]

There's nothing wrong with Drum on the table.

The problem is that it is very easy to over cook them.

Drum have almost no oil in the flesh and the fillets are thin.

If over cooked, they dry out and are like cardboard.

Properly prepared they have beautiful white meat with a delicate flavour.

[Greencoachdog]

Look here for some recipes!

 

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32591

[Headhunter]

We were talking about sheepies when were at Bernie's on the 24 weekend and Bernie made a pretty good point. It went something like this:

I won't eat a fish that the sea gulls only eat the eyes out of! They leave the entire carcass and eat just the eyes.

To me anyway, that says something!

HH

[Jonny]

Thanks for the replies, gents. They helped me, along with an internet search, to go ahead and try preparing drum.

 

So here are my findings (new to me, though old news for some of you, I'm sure) :

 

Drum fillets very much like a pickerel. On a smaller drum you can take the sides off in complete slabs, cutting through the rib bones, then removing the rib cage. I wouldn’t bother with the belly meat – just the thick saddle up top and the thinner tail section.

 

On a large drum you can’t cut through the ribs with a filleting knife. At least I couldn’t. I think you’re best to work the fillet off starting with dorsal cuts parallel to the backbone, working down to the ribs and stopping there. Then feel for the end of the ribcage with your fillet knife and skate it along the backbone to free the tail section.

 

I was told drum are bony. Not so. The fillets are free of bones. But you may get less off a fish than you’re used to because the ribcage and the cavity seem to be large, and the bones are massive compared to the size of the fish.

 

Filleting drum is easier than getting boneless pike fillets.

 

Wash the fillets well under cold water, then sprinkle with lemon juice (both sides) and allow to sit for a few minutes. Sprinkle fairly generously with lemon pepper and place in very hot oil in a frying pan. The meat is pinkish and turns white when done. Crisp it up a bit if you want, but not for too long – I think it will get too chewy.

 

We tried a small drum – about 2 ½ lb live - done like this as soon as I had finished filleting it - and the meat was very pleasant-tasting – no fishy taste or musty taste – and actually very mild. You need to take a large forkful to get any flavour of the fish, it’s that mild. The meat is firm and slightly chewy – you wouldn’t mistake the texture for pickerel but you might for pike.

 

I ran a fillet over Old Harv, our neighbour (and friend), who is a veteran fisherman and had been very skeptical of drum when I told him I wanted to try one. He must have repeated half a dozen times, “I can’t believe it! – this is good fish!”.

 

It’s no wonder I’ve read that they make a good chowder. The flesh is firm and won’t break apart too easily, I think.

 

A couple of pics:

[kickingfrog]

My brother and I have been catching drum in Nipissing for a long time, but it wasn't until this week that we kept one and tried it. Just cooked in a little bit of oil with no coating to get a true sense of what it tasted like. No issues at all. Very subtle flavour. I will be using more drum to supplement the walleye frys in the future. Like most fish though I would be less likely to keep larger/older ones.

 

If gulls only eat the eyes I wonder if that has more to do with the effort required to get through the scales/skin?

[Spiel]

My brother and I have been catching drum in Nipissing for a long time, but it wasn't until this week that we kept one and tried it.

 

 

That's good enough to put you in charge of catching, cleaning and cooking them for all the folks who'd like to sample some at Lakair Rob.

[kickingfrog]

That's good enough to put you in charge of catching, cleaning and cooking them for all the folks who'd like to sample some at Lakair Rob.

 

My brother is the cleaner of fish, I just give people who clean fish a hard time.

[throne7]

Thanks for the replies, gents. They helped me, along with an internet search, to go ahead and try preparing drum.

 

So here are my findings (new to me, though old news for some of you, I'm sure) :

 

Drum fillets very much like a pickerel. On a smaller drum you can take the sides off in complete slabs, cutting through the rib bones, then removing the rib cage. I wouldn’t bother with the belly meat – just the thick saddle up top and the thinner tail section.

 

On a large drum you can’t cut through the ribs with a filleting knife. At least I couldn’t. I think you’re best to work the fillet off starting with dorsal cuts parallel to the backbone, working down to the ribs and stopping there. Then feel for the end of the ribcage with your fillet knife and skate it along the backbone to free the tail section.

 

I was told drum are bony. Not so. The fillets are free of bones. But you may get less off a fish than you’re used to because the ribcage and the cavity seem to be large, and the bones are massive compared to the size of the fish.

 

Filleting drum is easier than getting boneless pike fillets.

 

Wash the fillets well under cold water, then sprinkle with lemon juice (both sides) and allow to sit for a few minutes. Sprinkle fairly generously with lemon pepper and place in very hot oil in a frying pan. The meat is pinkish and turns white when done. Crisp it up a bit if you want, but not for too long – I think it will get too chewy.

 

We tried a small drum – about 2 ½ lb live - done like this as soon as I had finished filleting it - and the meat was very pleasant-tasting – no fishy taste or musty taste – and actually very mild. You need to take a large forkful to get any flavour of the fish, it’s that mild. The meat is firm and slightly chewy – you wouldn’t mistake the texture for pickerel but you might for pike.

 

I ran a fillet over Old Harv, our neighbour (and friend), who is a veteran fisherman and had been very skeptical of drum when I told him I wanted to try one. He must have repeated half a dozen times, “I can’t believe it! – this is good fish!”.

 

It’s no wonder I’ve read that they make a good chowder. The flesh is firm and won’t break apart too easily, I think.

 

A couple of pics:

 

Wow! That looks really good. I guess I will have to give it a try next time I catch a drum.

 

I think your next task is to give carp a try with your culinary skills and give us a report

[Jonny]

Wow! That looks really good. I guess I will have to give it a try next time I catch a drum.

 

I'd say that chances are you won't be disappointed. It's one of those things you have to try for yourself. I'd heard so much negative off-hand comment about drum over the years that I was prepeared for it to be poor eating. I was surprised.

 

I think your next task is to give carp a try with your culinary skills and give us a report

 

I would probably try carp if we had any around and I could catch one, preferably a small one. I don't think they're around here, though.

 

Obviously - going by catfish, ling and drum - bottom-feeders don't have to taste bad.

 

And hey - more meat on the table without impacting game fish stocks!

[Rich]

Tastes very much channel cat. I just don't keep them because they are usually covered in parasites when I catch them. Probably completely safe... just can't get my mind past it.

[JohnF]

Tastes very much channel cat. I just don't keep them because they are usually covered in parasites when I catch them. Probably completely safe... just can't get my mind past it.

 

Think of the parasites as protein. Crunch 'em up and swallow. You'll be a better man for it. Same as worms in summer perch.

 

Living off the land ain't fer the squeamish. So I'm told by some of my friends who profess to be hunter/gatherers. Of course, they've had an assortment of body parts fall off lately. If folks saw all the worms that come out of hogs at slaughter they'd give up pork too. I'll tell my slaughterhouse story if anyone wants to listen. It's all just protein - right?

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

Think of the parasites as protein. Crunch 'em up and swallow. You'll be a better man for it. Same as worms in summer perch.

 

Living off the land ain't fer the squeamish. So I'm told by some of my friends who profess to be hunter/gatherers. Of course, they've had an assortment of body parts fall off lately. If folks saw all the worms that come out of hogs at slaughter they'd give up pork too. I'll tell my slaughterhouse story if anyone wants to listen. It's all just protein - right?

 

JF

 

 

... maybe, but can you eat 3 dozen raw oysters on the 1/2 shell???

 

 

... and how's aboot a nice big bowl of collard greens???

[JohnF]

... maybe, but can you eat 3 dozen raw oysters on the 1/2 shell???

 

 

... and how's aboot a nice big bowl of collard greens???

 

The greens are nothing. I'd just have to stay close to a washroom for a day. But I'm concerned about how big these oysters are if they'll all fit on one half shell. If I'm gonna fritter away my time I wanna do it with more than snack food to sustain me. And is there enuf hot sauce to curl 'em up properly? My biggest problem with raw oysters is stabbing myself with the knife.

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

The greens are nothing. I'd just have to stay close to a washroom for a day. But I'm concerned about how big these oysters are if they'll all fit on one half shell. If I'm gonna fritter away my time I wanna do it with more than snack food to sustain me. And is there enuf hot sauce to curl 'em up properly? My biggest problem with raw oysters is stabbing myself with the knife.

 

JF

 

 

They're shucked for you, and the size of a #9 mens shoe (U.S.)...\ the shell that is!!!

 

there's enough hot sauce and horseradish to go around twice!!!.. would you care for a fourth dozen???... I'd pay big money to watch the fourth dozen go down the hatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HTHM]

I'd pay big money to watch the fourth dozen go down the hatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's easy just buy them at Red Lobster.....

[Jonny]

My neighbour Harv was out yesterday and caught 2 drum. They were both kept for eating.

 

He has an outfitter friend on the South Shore of the lake, and talked to him about having tasted drum and liking it. His friend said, "Yeah, we started keeping them last year".

 

We're thinking the best eating drum are probably under 5 lb.

[vasyl]

I live in Toronto,last time I went to Dunnville for drumps,maybe anybody nows a spots more close to my location?Thank's

[Marko]

I live in Toronto,last time I went to Dunnville for drumps,maybe anybody nows a spots more close to my location?Thank's

 

Hamilton Harbor is full of them. Went there few weeks ago and seen quite a few in shallow.

[vasyl]

Thank's Marko!I see it's big piece of water...and industrial area around.Any idea where stop my car and drop the line?

[tonyle87]

pier 8 the discovery centre and williams coffee pub

[vasyl]

Great!Thank's a lot!