Why catch lots of tailor?

[charleville]

That heading is really my short-hand way of asking what do you do with a lot of tailor if you catch them.

There seem to be plenty of tailor around the Bay at the moment. #I caught a few last week and am still eating them because all of the conventional wisdom says that they don't freeze well - becoming mushy when thawed. #eg the extract below from http://www.ausfishing.com.au/speciestailor.htm

"Tailor I find are more of a sportfish and are better thrown back. They are regarded as a nice tablefish if prepared after capture properly. #If you do want to eat them, make sure you bleed them after capture and put on ice straight away. #Avoid freezing them as the flesh becomes soft and mushy once defrosted."

So what do people do with them if they catch a lot? #After all the legal limit is 20. #What can you do with 20 tailor?

BTW, I have really enjoyed eating mine, :) However, my family is now sick of eating fish so generally any fish that I catch are eaten by me. I can live with that and have eaten fish for breakfast every day but one in the past week plus a couple of evening meals. Damn! I am sure gonna be healthy! ;D ;D ;D

[Lone_Wolf]

I fillet, skin, prepare in garlic breadcrumbs and distribute the excess to the neighbours who have not had roudy parties recently.

Alternatively I fillet, skin, prepare in garlic breadcrumbs and freeze. Separate each fillet with glad wrap or grease proof paper so they separate easily. When eating after freezing, throw straight in the pan virtually frozen. That is the secret you were looking for Charleville!!

[choppa]

nah,,,,,i still say bream bait ;D ;D ;D ;D

[fishn-ads]

Smoke em they keep well for a week or so, or if you where real keen you could get a vacum pump and freeze em smoked. Other wish next time take what you need and c&r i guess (not meaning to be a S.A.).

Ads

[The_Walrus]

Keep a few for immediate eating and then tag & release or go and catch another species.

Luc

[Biff]

The just legal ones make for great tow baits.
As for eating them I don't

[slugo]

I will only eat fresh taylor caught on the same day and cooked on a BBQ otherwise they end up as crab bait.

[revs57]

Tailor makes great Snapper Bait!!!!

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

I fillet, skin, prepare in garlic breadcrumbs and distribute the excess to the neighbours who have not had roudy parties recently.

...

your neighbours do look a little on the thin side, wolf. ;)



Tailor make excellent fishballs too.

chris

[MulletGuts]

Of course it's a personal taste thing, but fresh tailor cooked an hour or so after caught is yummy I believe.

I used to freeze and use in beer battered deep fry and it tasted as good as fresh beer battered deep fry....... until I had my coronary artery operation...... not too much deep frying going on now. :(

[wayne_cook]

Rats of the sea but do make good spanish bait.Sorry to all the tailor lovers.

[cyghost]

I didn't realise you could eat Tailor... lol...nah...
I support the catch and release way of thinking.
Though by your posts I think a lot of you would gladly release a tailor...
Future anglers would be hoping so.
Especially if you catch that many fish you need to worry
about the quality when freezing?
www.##############.com
Is a similar website, and is promoting a catch and release program for kids.
;)
Does anyone know the reason why freezing fish changes the taste, and what possible measures one could take to reduce the change?

[aussiefool]

I catch a few Tailor over the season. I scale ,gill & gut making sure to remove as much blood as poss. wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. When I want to eat one for tea defrost, fillet and skin flour and fry... they come up very nice. OK not as firm fleshed as fresh but onced cooked not much difference even if they have been in the freezer for 6 mths
Aussiefool

[Nugget]

I've found the trick to cooking frozen tailor is not to thaw them out fully.
The flesh absorbs the moisture from thawing and makes the fillet mushy.
If you cook them to thaw them out, the moisture turns to steam and affects the flesh less.
Not perfect, but better.

Dave ><>

[karana]

Well perhaps convential wisdom on how good or bad tailor filleys are is wrong.

Tailor is certainly great when cooked fresh but after being frozen it is great smoked and in fish curries especially if the fillets are large.

For those of us who like to eat a lot of fish and are limited in the number of trips we can make tailor is the simple and easy freezer filler.

[BrandonH]

I love eating fresh taylor!! but like others here can't stand them after being frozen. I think some of the ideas given in this tread might make it ok to eat taylor after being frozen. Personally I don't think i will try this because I don't eat a LOT of fish (mainly due to my better half not liking fish that much :'() and taylor makes such a great bait its hard not to take a fresh fillet off one side to eat and then salt and freeze the other one for the next trip out!

cheers
Brandon.

[nigelr]

Great food, great bait, great burley!
No need to waste a single bit!
Superb smoked in the Anuka, second only to spotties/spanish IMO.
Fillets shallow fried in herbed breadcrumbs, bl$$dy beautiful!
But have to agree, 20 is a bit over the top unless you don't get to fish for them very often.
Now as for SALMON.................. >:( >:( >:( ;D!
Cheers, I'm off to fish for some tailor this pm! :)

[JewseeTHAT]

Anyone who has tried smoking a previously frozen tailor fillet and found it less than sublime either needs to realise smoking fish doesn't involve tobacco or cow dung, or has taste buds that can tolerate XXXX. ;)

[BrandonH]

Lol well said JewseeTHAT!!! I guess I am not the only one that thinks XXXX is a better paint striper than beer!! I wonder how many replys we are going to have on this now!! Lol..

Brandon.