Are Eel Pout edible?

[manderson]

Are Eel Pout any good to eat. I have heard numerous folks say that they are "poor man's lobster", but have no idea if they are pulling my leg.

If they are good to eat, any suggestions on how to prepare them would be appreciated. Battered and fryed, or boiled or baked, and do you just filet the back straps out.

Thanks for the info, it is greatly appreciated! Have a great day, and be safe out there.

[Wookiee]

Yes they are edible. Filet the backstraps out and boil in 7-up and dunk in butter. Yes it is poor man's lobster. The eel pout is freshwater cod and delicious.

[buddha]

You bet they are! I want the pout as bad as the walleye! Don't listen to the naysayers who will tell you different. If you can clean a bullhead you can clean a pout! Just boil the backstraps for a few minutes and dip in a little butter, you won't be dissapointed.

[fivebucks]

No - they are terrible. Leave all the ones you catch at the resort with my name on them. I will get rid of them for you

(they are some of the best smoked fish I have ever smoked)

[iffwalleyes]

They say it is poor mans lobster but I decided after eating my first one of these that I will never be that poor. Gross I can stand the smell of the damn things.

[FrontenacPike]

I too decided to try it last year. Well it is what they say it is(poor mans lob)!!!! If you can get through the cleaning stage and the smell, you got yourself a fillet of lobster. I personally won't ever do it again cause they smell so bad and I couldn't get the smell off my hands. I did however figure out one way to get rid of the smell. I ingested an excessive amount of bud light to the stomach and soon forgot.

[widetrack]

Tip for you married guys out there...

Don't leave 8 of these frozen beasts on the kitchen counter to thaw out for your wife to find...

[dougger222]

Last Winter ate some for the first time. Brought them over to a friends house who had never eaten them either. He said, "Wow, these taste as good as the lobster I ate last night". IMO, there good but not quite as good as walleye cheeks. Although at a resturaunt with my wife ordered walley cheeks as an app. and thought they tasted fishy. Never thought any were fishy before then.

Managed to bring home three pouts from the big pond this week a four and two seven pounders.

Not 100% sure what's the best way to prepare them but recall reading that you need to freeze them at least once. Thinking you should clean them then freeze them before eating. Talked to a friend the other day who said last time he ate them he didn't like it but he said it was never froze. When ate last year though the texture was similiar to lobster.

Speaking of lobster, my wife and I went on a trip to Maine a couple years ago and sailed on a 83ft schooner for a week and on the last day they put us on a life boat and paddled us to an island were they took an open fire huge kettle sea weed and sea water and put a bunch of lobsters in it. My wife didn't eat any and neither did a couple others on the boat so decided instead of letting good lobster go to waste ate 4!!! Didn't care for eating lobster after that for a good year. His son was a lobsterman and they were pulled from the deapths earlier in the day.

$5-6 a pound was about going rate there, and you could get a lobster dinner at most places for around $12. Lobster rolls at McDonalds and even Perkins had a lobster tank.

At the Rio in Vegas seven years ago ate the famous all you can seafood buffet at $35 a pop. Ate two things, crab legs and lobsters!!!

[northerndave]

Quote:

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Tip for you married guys out there...

Don't leave 8 of these frozen beasts on the kitchen counter to thaw out for your wife to find...

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You sir, are a baaaaaaad man!

[Twisted]

I don't understand..... The last time my wife found pout on the counter she cleaned and cooked them.

As far as freezing them first, I've ate them fresh at the lake many-o-time. They were good,

[mrwalleye_13]

Ever since I caught my first one and threw it back with a scarred look on my face, I have been told poor man's lobster, and year after year thrown them back until this spring we caught a couple near the boundary waters.. decided hell we are at the cabin it's not like we are rushin to watch some tv or something cuz there was none..cut um up, put some salt in the water and dipped them in butter... They really are not bad at all, but I personally have a hard time feeling, looking, and smelling that fish then thinking about it when I am eating it.. I am sure I would do it again and I am sure there are some better ways to prepare it.. try it out

[widetrack]

PS: I've eaten plenty of them... and I'd have to rate them mostly as over-rated. Just ok, better the more you have had to drink. Kind of like 2nd shelf beer.

Don't cut them open and look inside, they are full of alien creatures.

PSS: Aren't most things dipped in butter somewhat edible?

Kind of like wrapping questionable meat (goose comes to mind) in bacon for the grill. Makes it edible.

[iffwalleyes]

Quote:

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PS: I've eaten plenty of them... and I'd have to rate them mostly as over-rated. Just ok, better the more you have had to drink. Kind of like 2nd shelf beer.

Don't cut them open and look inside, they are full of alien creatures.

PSS: Aren't most things dipped in butter somewhat edible?

Kind of like wrapping questionable meat (goose comes to mind) in bacon for the grill. Makes it edible.

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That was my thought I had garlic butter and sure it tasted like garlic butter but then I thought what the heck am I doing going to all this effort to just cover up the taste.

That is why I say if you can't bread it and fry it and have it taste good I won't eat it. Now if I want lobster I will order it.

[widetrack]

Kind of like Les Stroud (survivorman)... He sits and chews on some narly thing... gets this discombobulated look on his face, and proclaims... hmmm not bad... could use a little garlic butter.

... but yes, they are edible.

[northerndave]

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Don't cut them open and look inside, they are full of alien creatures.

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amen...

I done been to 3 county fairs, a goat ropin & a midget toss, but I ain never seen no $hit like that.

[DinkADunk]

Well my wife will eat things that make my skin crawl and we both tried pout last winter. We aren't in a rush to try them again anytime soon. Having said that though they are a lot of fun to catch. They'll give your drag a good work out. I just throw them back.

[andrew chadwick]

eel pout dont freeze wel, so eat them fresh.

[Royce Aardahl]

I'm poor but I'll just stick to lobster once or so a year thank you.

[DinkADunk]

You can eat them, I'm not interested. Did try them, didn't like them. Sorry, but there are too many decent fish out there that I don't need to waste my time on Eelpout. They do give the drag a good workout though and are fun to catch.

[WhiskeyPete]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Don't cut them open and look inside, they are full of alien creatures.

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amen...

I done been to 3 county fairs, a goat ropin & a midget toss, but I ain never seen no $hit like that.

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NOW THAT'S FUNNY STUFF!!

[me2]

i pouched them, deep fried, it's all good, i usually just take off the meat from the back of the stomache back to the tail but i seen a guy cut around... just behind the head then skin it, then fillet the back and tail. stay out of the guts... there stuff in there i've never seen before.

[Craigums]

Here is your alien creatures

[mnhunter 3815]

ummmmm what is that ROFL

[northerndave]

Arg, it be pout belly surprise....