red devils on the grill

[BASSTRACKER]

ok a first person report on eating a red devil. i caught several last weekend and figured its about time someone tried one out and posted something instead of a 2nd hand so and so said this or tried that. left em sit in a tub of water for most of the week and changed the water several times to help flush them out, after the first day lots of fish waste in the water i guess they were eating quite well. this included something that looked like a crawfish head or a fish head of some sort maybe the size of the tip of a pinky finger. finally decided to cut 2 up and cook em tonight. wasn't quite sure what to expect so i decided to fillet them and see how much meat was on them. actually surprised that there was enough for several hand sized fillets about a 1/2 in thick each, not a meal but a good taste for a couple of people. the wife wasn't excited about the prospect...... turns out they have a lot of bones , a whole ribcage around the stomach cavity. kinda weird for a fish like this but not unheard of. and a lot more meat than i expected. fillet style wastes a lot of the meat so its one of those fish better to throw whole on the grill like most small reef fish and pick the meat out after its done id think. did one fillet plain with nothing on it and the other with some alaea salt and butter. set in a pan and baked for 15 min on a medium temp on the outdoor grill. cooked and smelled just like any other fish. time for the taste test...... turns out the unseasoned fillet is kinda bland, flakey white meat but little taste to it, it does have that fishy smell and taste that most freshwater fish do when compared to saltwater fish but beyond that very bland. the seasoned fillet was a bit more enjoyable and the small amount of seasonings made a good improvement. all in all i was surprised that its actually not bad and I'm still alive so obviously edible. id skip filleting em wayyyyy to much work for too little reward but a thorough cleaning and then grilling em like you would a small reef fish with some italian dressing or other spices might be the ticket. got 2 more gonna try to do this weekend it would take a few for a meal but they are easy to get in bulk so who knows, maybe it will catch on and red devils may become extinct after word spreads hahaha

[Filthyfisherman]

Awesome report on the "Solution" Red Devil problem... Thinking grilling them without fillet is the trick too.... The other post with the picture of the cooked RD with diced mango and Maui Onions looked good! Guessing you just gut them and de scale them??? Plus the way you flushed them was a good idea... And the crap they left "fish head, craw head"? Just think about how much FOOD they are taking from the TUC's and LM's and SM's!!!!!!!! I estamate over 10's of 1,000's of Red Devils are infested in the Lake! 25,350 Adults my guess! lol

[roadwarriorsvt]

Thanks for trying this and providing a first hand report. I think we should try to find a venue for them in Chinatown. Even at $1.00 a fish, that could mean a moderate amount of $$ for the hatchery to supplement its expenses. Oh, and FF, I think you are close on your estimate, but I'd say there are closer to 26, 389 adults!

[Ahnkochee]

I think deep fried whole after dredging in flour Chinese style with sweet/sour sauce poured over the top as soon as out of the fryer would be good.

Good to fry twice once at medium heat 325 to cook through evenly then again at higher heat 375 to crisp up the skin.

Easy Chinese style Sweet/Sour sauce

Equal amounts:

Shoyu
Rice Vinegar
Sugar
Ketchup

Heat in pan over medium heat stirring until sugar dissolved.