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Sardines
Apr 12, 2022 16:06:58 GMT -5
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Post by sas on Apr 12, 2022 16:06:58 GMT -5
Has anyone seen schools of sardines at the SSP? Last year (unknown month) there was plenty.
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Sardines
Apr 12, 2022 16:40:54 GMT -5
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Post by inoeatfish on Apr 12, 2022 16:40:54 GMT -5
I’ve been catching the Spanish sardines at the NSP at the end. I did it on Monday.
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Sardines
Apr 13, 2022 5:46:22 GMT -5
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Post by seabird on Apr 13, 2022 5:46:22 GMT -5
I’ve been catching the Spanish sardines at the NSP at the end. I did it on Monday. How do u prep sardines for eating...aren't they boney?
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Post by carlf on Apr 13, 2022 6:24:08 GMT -5
The way I have seen them cooked is scaled, gutted and grilled whole, with olive oil, salt & pepper. Or canned in mason jars, just like the ones you buy. I've always been tempted to try grilling them but usually only catch 1 or 2 and just end up using them for bait.
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Post by sas on Apr 13, 2022 6:58:18 GMT -5
We rinse and pat dry the sardines - there is no real need to gut them since they are small - then either grill them or deep-fry (I prefer deep-fry). They will take only a few minutes and come out crunchy ( bones too) then drizzle with lemon olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper.
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Sardines
Apr 13, 2022 8:44:24 GMT -5
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Post by seabird on Apr 13, 2022 8:44:24 GMT -5
We rinse and pat dry the sardines - there is no real need to gut them since they are small - then either grill them or deep-fry (I prefer deep-fry). They will take only a few minutes and come out crunchy ( bones too) then drizzle with lemon olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper. Thanks. Will try if I get some...my wife interested as well.
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Post by inoeatfish on Apr 13, 2022 11:33:19 GMT -5
My father and his friends like to catch the greenback or scaled sardines. They like the 3"-4" size. They make sure as soon as they get it out of the water to throw them in a ice slush bath to maintain freshness. I think the ice bath helps descale it but I'm not sure. They either filet or use a scissor. They will make a salad and cerviche the meat with lemon or lime and the usual red onions, bell peppers, coriander, garlic, olive oil,salt etc. Let it rest in the fridge for 4 hours. Toss it with some crispy lettuce or microgreens and cherry tomotoes.
Its a bit tedious to clean such a small fish but they love the taste of it with a citrus beer.
I have also fried them hard and crispy with a bit of salt and lemongrass for taste and add cracked peppers. I usually eat it with jasmine rice and a bit of soy sauce. Some persion cucumbers, roma tomotoes and crispy lettuce. Don't forget the srircha for some heat.
The Spanish Sardines is handle by my wife. I'll have to ask her.
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Sardines
Apr 13, 2022 20:38:20 GMT -5
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Post by sas on Apr 13, 2022 20:38:20 GMT -5
I'll have to try your fried version. Sounds tasty 😋
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Post by seabird on Apr 14, 2022 4:07:43 GMT -5
I'll have to try your fried version. Sounds tasty 😋 The talk about sardines reminds me of smelt...a small fresh water fish deep fried whole and served with vinegar splashed over a platter of fish or lemon.
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Post by carlf on Apr 14, 2022 7:32:03 GMT -5
My wife is from Japan, smelt are seasonal delicacy there. Some Asian markets will have them frozen in bags. I've learned to grill them with a soy-ginger marinade/basting sauce. Very good. Deep fried is great too.
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Post by inoeatfish on Apr 14, 2022 8:10:32 GMT -5
I'll have to try your fried version. Sounds tasty 😋 The talk about sardines reminds me of smelt...a small fresh water fish deep fried whole and served with vinegar splashed over a platter of fish or lemon. I didn’t know what smelt is until I google it. I always thought they where minnows. I love smelt, especially pan fried. My wife loves making it a clay pot recipe. She is a really good cook. I cook like a caveman.
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Post by fishfinderbill on Apr 14, 2022 20:39:27 GMT -5
Boy! Things are really SLOW when we are posting about eating Bait. Altho I would try them if given a chance.
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Post by inoeatfish on Apr 14, 2022 20:54:51 GMT -5
Boy! Things are really SLOW when we are posting about eating Bait. Altho I would try them if given a chance. Haha. My last two skyway trips were duds. I’ve been spending time watching YouTube videos of kingfish fishing. I’m waiting for the outgoing tides next week or when someone post water clarity or recent catches.
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Sardines
May 4, 2022 23:30:31 GMT -5
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Post by cdubb on May 4, 2022 23:30:31 GMT -5
Quick question,
Hopefully this isnt reviving too old of a thread but how do you guys catch your sardines? I’m guessing cast net but I wanted to ask. If it’s is a cast net what kind of specs do you have on it? Looking to target them for bait and for my own eating of course.
Thanks
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Post by carlf on May 5, 2022 10:24:13 GMT -5
I’ve always gotten them on sabiki rigs
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Post by macktime on May 5, 2022 13:17:00 GMT -5
for a brief recent history of the evolution of pier bait catching techniques.... Many moons ago pilchards/white bait/scaled sardine etc.. were caught on piers with a daisy chain of thin fishing wire loops with a red ribbon threaded through and dangled just below the surface, the bait would try to swim through the loops attracted by the red ribbon and get stuck, worked just like a mini gill net. then came the size 12 mustad gold hooks chicken rigged 6-8 per group with around an ounce of lead or maybe less at the end of the line, on very light line 4-6 bs and jigged through the water column, the gold plated sparkle attracted the bait and it would bite the hook bare, no stinking bait needed to catch bait. finally the today standard sabiki rigs, ready made from japan with a piece of mylar. This evolution of how to catch bait in the early 80's on lower east coast piers where nets were not and are still NOT ALLOWED to be used on piers.
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Post by skywaypa on May 5, 2022 14:49:13 GMT -5
We were on a charter catching bait last Sunday and the pier was lousy with spanish sardines. Like there were so many you couldn't catch the other two baits. First time I've seen them at the pier. This was the North side of the SSP, under the part of the pier we can't get to any more. But with the numbers that were there I can't imagine they were ONLY in that spot.
I was super tempted to take a few home to cook. We grew up eating smelts also. We'd thaw them (PA only has frozen smelts!) and then pull the spines + bones out by hand. They are a bit mushy after freezing, which would probably also work for the sardines here. Little bit of salt/pepper/flour then pan fry in some oil. Salt again and down the hatch!
The ice slurry seems like a good plan. And you want to use saltwater for that slurry.
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Sardines
May 5, 2022 23:14:56 GMT -5
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Post by cdubb on May 5, 2022 23:14:56 GMT -5
for a brief recent history of the evolution of pier bait catching techniques.... Many moons ago pilchards/white bait/scaled sardine etc.. were caught on piers with a daisy chain of thin fishing wire loops with a red ribbon threaded through and dangled just below the surface, the bait would try to swim through the loops attracted by the red ribbon and get stuck, worked just like a mini gill net. then came the size 12 mustad gold hooks chicken rigged 6-8 per group with around an ounce of lead or maybe less at the end of the line, on very light line 4-6 bs and jigged through the water column, the gold plated sparkle attracted the bait and it would bite the hook bare, no stinking bait needed to catch bait. finally the today standard sabiki rigs, ready made from japan with a piece of mylar. This evolution of how to catch bait in the early 80's on lower east coast piers where nets were not and are still NOT ALLOWED to be used on piers. I think I want to get my hands on a sabiki rig as well but you make me think of another question, are nets allowed on the skyway piers? I know I’ve seen guys use them there but it’s been probably close to 10 years since I’ve fished there.
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Sardines
May 5, 2022 23:17:44 GMT -5
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Post by cdubb on May 5, 2022 23:17:44 GMT -5
We were on a charter catching bait last Sunday and the pier was lousy with spanish sardines. Like there were so many you couldn't catch the other two baits. First time I've seen them at the pier. This was the North side of the SSP, under the part of the pier we can't get to any more. But with the numbers that were there I can't imagine they were ONLY in that spot. I was super tempted to take a few home to cook. We grew up eating smelts also. We'd thaw them (PA only has frozen smelts!) and then pull the spines + bones out by hand. They are a bit mushy after freezing, which would probably also work for the sardines here. Little bit of salt/pepper/flour then pan fry in some oil. Salt again and down the hatch! The ice slurry seems like a good plan. And you want to use saltwater for that slurry. That does sound pretty good, same way my mom would prepare morel mushroom. Glad to hear sardines have a presence there!
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Post by carlf on May 6, 2022 6:33:20 GMT -5
Cast nets are allowed at the SSP/NSP.
They are not allowed on most of the northern Gulf piers, include Okaloosa Island/Fort Walton, Navara, Panama City, Pensacola and Gulf State Park. In Alabama, you can still use the ribbon/net rigs, which they do not consider to be a gillnet, like Florida does.
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Post by fishsci on May 6, 2022 10:50:55 GMT -5
i learned how to cook them from Cubans in Miami: Scales wipe off easily, cut the head off and gut them. Deep fry them until totally crisiy all the way through. The bones get crisp, and you just eat the whole thing.
Gold hooks sometimes work better for sardines than sabikis when the sardines are targeting and eating very small zooplankton. Gold hooks, however are almost impossible to find in bait shopes, WM, etc. Chinese gold hooksl are available on line, but they rust much more quickly than the Mustad or Eagle Claw versions used to do.
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Post by tears143 on May 6, 2022 11:16:05 GMT -5
got 1 whole gallon bag with 1 castnet Wednesday. Lots of them around mixed in with the threadfin.
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Post by phishead on May 6, 2022 17:29:21 GMT -5
Anyone try cooking threadfins? As a kid on vaca in the Baltic, I remember eating small “sardines”. Fried and served in a cup. Kind of like fries. Awesome childhood memories. Would love to duplicate it.
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Post by seabird on May 6, 2022 19:55:05 GMT -5
Anyone try cooking threadfins? As a kid on vaca in the Baltic, I remember eating small “sardines”. Fried and served in a cup. Kind of like fries. Awesome childhood memories. Would love to duplicate it. More fish for the seabird to try...lol.
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Sardines
May 6, 2022 23:46:03 GMT -5
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Post by cdubb on May 6, 2022 23:46:03 GMT -5
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