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Q:
Are sheephead good for anything? I mean, can you eat them? I understand that they're called gaspergou in Louisiana, but are they the same thing? How do you cook one?
Question by TM. Uploaded on June 29, 2011
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Answers (11)
Good for garden fertilizer.
I have heard that they are bad eating, but my experience was the opposite. I went fishing for them in Texas and we took them to a restaurant that prepared them for us. They were very good.
I have cooked them on a BB-Q with butter and lemon not bad at all!
Not sure what they call them in Louisiana, but the sheepshead I catch in Florida are delicious. I have had some people tell me they are trash fish, but they are one of my favorites. Mild and sweet. They are good on the grill, like Treestand said, and I also like to put fillets in a casserole dish with butter and herbs and bake until flaky. Great stuff.
Just to make sure we are all talking about the same thing, I am talking about Archosargus probatocephalus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepshead_(fish)
Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)
Photo of Sheepshead
TPWD ©
Other Names
Convict Fish
Description
Vivid black and white bars make the sheepshead or "convict fish" distinctive among fishes of the Texas coast. large sharp spines and a razor-edge gill cover make handling and cleaning difficult. another key feature is the jutting teath, slighly like a human's.
Life History
Spawning occurs in February and March in the Gulf near jetties, rock piles and reefs. The young fish live in shallow, grassy areas where food and shelter are abundant.
Habitat
Young live in shallow, grassy areas. Adults live near pilings and rocks where their strong incisor teeth are used to good advantage to graze barnacles and small shellfish.
Distribution
Coastwide
How To Catch
Experienced fishermen use small fiddler and hermit crabs to catch sheepshead. Alertness is essential, for the fish is an adept bait stealer.
Where To Catch
Near hard substrate such as jetties, rock piles and reefs.
How To Eat
Although sheepshead are difficult to clean, the flesh is excellent.
I don't know anything about sheep's head, but leg of lamb is one of my favorites:)
As Moishe's post stated, they are hard to clean, but they taste great. Their skin and scales are close to armor plate. Fun to catch and good to eat---what's the downside?
Personally I like sheephead. They have good firm flesh and are often used in blackened dishes as a substitute for redfish. They can be cooked anyway from frying to being used in gumbos. The only down side to eating them is just using care while handling and cleaning.
I like to eat them, but as many point out they a hard to clean.
Yes, they are very hard to clean but can taste really good if you do it right.
Post an Answer
I have heard that they are bad eating, but my experience was the opposite. I went fishing for them in Texas and we took them to a restaurant that prepared them for us. They were very good.
I have cooked them on a BB-Q with butter and lemon not bad at all!
Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)
Photo of Sheepshead
TPWD ©
Other Names
Convict Fish
Description
Vivid black and white bars make the sheepshead or "convict fish" distinctive among fishes of the Texas coast. large sharp spines and a razor-edge gill cover make handling and cleaning difficult. another key feature is the jutting teath, slighly like a human's.
Life History
Spawning occurs in February and March in the Gulf near jetties, rock piles and reefs. The young fish live in shallow, grassy areas where food and shelter are abundant.
Habitat
Young live in shallow, grassy areas. Adults live near pilings and rocks where their strong incisor teeth are used to good advantage to graze barnacles and small shellfish.
Distribution
Coastwide
How To Catch
Experienced fishermen use small fiddler and hermit crabs to catch sheepshead. Alertness is essential, for the fish is an adept bait stealer.
Where To Catch
Near hard substrate such as jetties, rock piles and reefs.
How To Eat
Although sheepshead are difficult to clean, the flesh is excellent.
As Moishe's post stated, they are hard to clean, but they taste great. Their skin and scales are close to armor plate. Fun to catch and good to eat---what's the downside?
Not sure what they call them in Louisiana, but the sheepshead I catch in Florida are delicious. I have had some people tell me they are trash fish, but they are one of my favorites. Mild and sweet. They are good on the grill, like Treestand said, and I also like to put fillets in a casserole dish with butter and herbs and bake until flaky. Great stuff.
Just to make sure we are all talking about the same thing, I am talking about Archosargus probatocephalus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheepshead_(fish)
I don't know anything about sheep's head, but leg of lamb is one of my favorites:)
Personally I like sheephead. They have good firm flesh and are often used in blackened dishes as a substitute for redfish. They can be cooked anyway from frying to being used in gumbos. The only down side to eating them is just using care while handling and cleaning.
I like to eat them, but as many point out they a hard to clean.
Good for garden fertilizer.
Yes, they are very hard to clean but can taste really good if you do it right.
Post an Answer