Cleaning a Gar
 

Here's how I clean gar...

First.... start with a good attitude. :)


You need to get a hole started in that armor-like hide. Use a machete. (or use the arrow hole as your starting point). Then, tin-snips make short, crunchy work of the skin and scales. BTW.... It's actually easier to snip from the tail forward.


Cut and peel the hard shell-like skin back to expose the meat.


Once exposed, it's a simple matter to remove the two 'loins' or filets. The strips of meat are boneless.



How does it taste? Well, it tastes a lot like gar. :)

To me the taste and texture is like the tail meat of a crayfish (somewhat like lobster).

Gar balls are a great way to get around the texture.. (grind the meat up) Boiling it in crab boil and dipping it in butter is a great way to take advantage of the texture.

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

thanks....... Now all I got to do is hit one of them. ;) Shouldn't be a problem, been practicing on some real small "pan fish". lol ......... shhhhhhhhhhhh

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Just be sure not to borrow someone's knife they inherited to try to cut through the scales. ;)

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

I caught one of those nasty-azz things on a hook-and-line last week...

talk about "...ok, Beavis... now what?.."

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Fish... this is waay true. (but it wasn't me....) [:o]

I still think I should buy you a new knife or some other doohickey to pay you back.

So Razor.. what did you do?

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Ill stick to Walleye

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Hey don't worry. There was no real emotional attachment. :( Besides, it now works better than ever - I reshaped it and sharpened it. I use it to 'unzip' the carp so I don't dull my good knife cutting through the scales. You know I love you and just giving you a hard time.

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

I know what you mean Razorhead.
I got my first gar this Spring, with a bow.
When you get a look at the teeth up close, there is a strong desire to throw it back, quickly.
I was ina canoe at the time, so onceI got it off the arrow, I jammed it nose-first into the bow of the canoe, and kept my foot on it for the next 40 minutes until we got back to the launch.

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Not sure we even have Gar out here...

RE: Cleaning a Gar
 

Cooking and cleaning a gar: 1st, run over 4 or 5 times with a crawler tractor, 2nd, take axe (not a good one) and chop head off, 3rd, start a big fire, throw gar in fire, 4th, when completely burned up, throw gar ashes away and eat left over coals.:D
dog1