hey i am going to smoke some big ol" mullet i netted at the pier today. i left the scales on… should i take them off? i figure i am just going to pick the meat off to make a dip so it will prob be ok
caught a nice slot red (22") today as well that i think i am going to pan fry w/asparagus:imp: 
as incredible replacement for beer nuts: scales off, bones out- eat it all or give the dogs the skin, which i believe is actually the canine equivalent to crack cocaine.
for dip: scales off, but easiest to just rip off fillets with all ribs in- smoke them hot with lightly soaked chips or dry chunks for up to 4-6 hours, blot off oil, then once cool “break” fillets where the bones are- easier to pick them out than cut them…
of course, make the dip at least a day ahead of time- lots of cream cheese, since the smoke will just keep flavoring it for days. lime, chive, onion, worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic/onion powder, salt/pepper, then your face.
i’m going to get a snack fillet out of the fridge to have with my beer now, typing this has made my stomach growl, and i’m not yet to the main course of fresh jumbo scrimps
congrats on a good day of collecting groceries!
thanks for the advice. guess i have a date to scale some fillets tomorrow morning. got some pretty beefy ones… some BIG mullet. glad i only got 6 or i wouldnt have been able to pull it on the pier
i just re-taught myself to toss a castnet yesterday and actually did pretty well with it i thought for a newb. you know of course after i looked like a fool a few times
soooooo nice not to have to pay for bait… a bit more challenging though lol
decided to blacken the red in the castiron skillet… it was yummo
left the scales on b/c i was lazy but it worked great! made a dip similar to what you recommended and it is off the chain! got some of my Jamaican wife’s hot sauce and some key lime juice in there… awesome
next time i catch 20 in the net im keepin em all haha. new favorite for sure
Be carefull when trying to light that thing…use one of those cigar lighters.
John