Try this tasty self-caught and home-cooked fish sandwich and you'll never hit the drive thru again!
By Jim Edlund
For whatever reason, a lot of anglers are averse to eating bass, which is easily understood. Yes, they’re an important resource to sportfishing and populations should be managed as such. But decades ago, it was not uncommon for anglers to fish for (and keep) “anything that bites”. The emphasis wasn’t on catch and release and most quarry ended up in the frying pan or freezer.
One small bass per sandwich will satisfy any hungry angler. I’d argue there’s a happy medium—and most states offer liberal limits for keeping gamefish—including bass. Fact is, there are a lot of waters across the country with very healthy populations of younger year-class largemouth bass, fish in the that 10- to 15-inch class that are perfect for the table—and I’d challenge anyone catching them (especially out of deeper and/or cooler waters) to tell the difference between their taste and many other sportfish sought after for table fare. And if you’re really worried about their supposed “muddy” taste, incorporate the Ike Jimi technique and quickly dispatch the fish, bleed it out in the livewell, then move to ice in a kill bag or cooler.
Here in Minnesota we have lots of waters with small largemouth bass, fish that In-Fisherman staff has argued for years should be harvested on lakes with suitable populations. The same goes for smaller northern pike in Minnesota, for that matter with its liberalized limits in certain sizes, but that’s the subject for another piece.
Rather than seek out a half dozen 10-inch crappies or under 10-inch sunfish, anglers should start keeping small bass—and when you’re looking for a quick meal—catching a couple smaller fish doesn’t take much time and fryer preparation not much longer.
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A home-grown tomato will take this meal to perfection. Here’s an easy recipe I use when I get a hankering for a fish sandwich that beats any fast-food fish sandwiches I’ve tried. Why not make your own, with fish caught from waters you know …
Mix beer and eggs for batter binder. Ready for the skillet. Crispy Small Bass Sandwiches! Catch as many small bass as you have diners. Eating solo, one fish will do. Two hungry anglers? Two fish. And so forth. It doesn’t take many fish to make a good meal – and one featuring sandwiches with two crispy fillets on each sandwich! Fillet fish and rinse thoroughly, washing all blood from fillets, made even easier if you practice Ike Jimi when fishing, dispatching the small bass quickly, slitting the gills, bleeding out in the livewell or a bucket of water, and then placing on ice. Dry fillets on paper towels Prepare egg wash with a couple eggs and a few ounces of beer to thin it out a bit Combine half a box Shore Lunch with potato chip crumbs made smaller with a rolling pin and place in a gallon Zip Lok bag Drop fillets in egg/beer wash, coat completely in Shore Lunch/potato chip crumb breading Heat Canola oil in electric frying pan, cast iron, or Fry Daddy to 380-390 degrees Cook until brown and crisp one side, then turn over to other side Transfer two fillets per sandwich and combine with red onion, fresh pickle slices, lettuce, a giant beefsteak or heirloom tomato slice on a good bun Serve with potato chips and a pickle, tartar sauce if preferred. Enjoy! See, it doesn’t take 20 or 30 fish on an outing to make a good meal. One small bass per person makes a great dinner, making those days when fish are a bit apprehensive not such a big deal! Success is not always in numbers, especially when your stomach is rumbling for a fish sandwich that beats anything you’ll ever get at a drive-thru window.
Bass make for a fine meal, indeed.
