Caught 8 or 10 nice gills in the 9 to 11 inch range last weekend, and let my wife talk me into not filleting and skinning them. A lot more work- but I scaled them, de-finned, and gutted them and let her do the cooking. She sprinkled them with a generous amount of onion powder, salt, and pepper. In a medium heated skillet with a stick of melted margarine and a splash of cooking oil, she slowly cooked them until they were very dark and crispy. I was worried about bones, but the skeleton stays together except for the ribs, however, they are simple to pluck off once you peel the fillet from the skeleton. Also, split the meat on the top and bottom of the fish behind the dorsal fin and anal fin so that the meat will separate from each side of the fish.
This was the best tasting fish I have ever eaten!!! Plus, you consume 100% of the meat with no loss as in fillets. Two 10 inch gills, a salad, and a couple dinner rolls stuffed me.
Super alternative to breaded / battered fillets.
Anybody have variations to this method. Can’t wait to try it again, especially when the perch start up again this fall.
Fishryc