Family Fishing Trips Hot Springs Arkansas Area Fishing Guide

Deep Fried Crappie Fillets or Nuggets

10-12 whole crappie fillets or cut into nuggets
Enough Canola oil to submerge about 4 fillets at one time
Approximately 2-3 cups of self-rising white cornmeal
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2-3 teaspoons of yellow mustard or ranch dressing
1-2 teaspoons of Louisiana hot sauce

Begin heating canola oil to a minimum of 365 degrees and not more 375 degrees. Oil temperature is very important. With crappie fillets or nuggets in a large bowl, lightly coat fish in mustard or dressing and hot sauce. Dredge coated fish in self-rising white cornmeal and black pepper mixture. Once oil has at least achieved 365 degrees, carefully lay in 4 fillets or about 12 nuggets. Cooking too many at one time will cool your oil too quickly and the result will be oily, mushy. Maintaining proper oil temperature is key to a crisp outside and tender inside. Be careful not to overcook; 45-60 seconds is sufficient for nuggets and small fillets. Thicker fillets may require additional time. Remove cooked fish and layout upon paper towels. Allow oil to reach 365 degrees again and repeat.

To reheat leftovers back to a fresh and tasty, use oven on low broil or toaster oven. A microwave will make reheated fillets mushy and tasteless. Reheated leftover deep fried crappie is perfect for toasted sandwich using miracle whip or tauter sauce.

Hushpuppies
by Jerry Blake, Pearcy, AR.

Put about 1/2 can of cream style corn and half a can of beer in a mixing bowl. Beat in one egg and two or three tablespoons Picante Sauce. You may also add a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of chopped onion and as much chopped jalapeno you can stand. Stir in self-rising white cornmeal just until batter is barely thick enough to keep a spoon standing up a few seconds and not falling over immediately. Please note, the mixture will seem to be too thin but adding too much cornmeal will make heavy, thick hushpuppies when light and fluffy is the goal. Fry in canola or peanut oil at 360-degrees until golden brown. Give'em a poke to turn over (if they don't turn themselves). Cool on layers of newspaper covered with a paper towel. SERVE WARM with fish or seafood. CAUTION: CORN KERNELS MAY POP AND SPATTER HOT GREASE. Use two spoons - one to dip batter, the other to push it into the oil. "Submerge" spoon with batter in hot oil and push it off with the other spoon. Dropping batter in hot oil will cause the puppy to spread and may cause grease burns to your hand.

Crappie Cakes

1 pound raw chopped crappie fillets
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Cajun choice seasoning
3 eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cups flour
1/4 cup water

Heat 1/2 of oil over high heat. Saute onions, bell peppers, salt, and pepper for about a minute. Add green onions, garlic, Cajun choice seasoning and cook for another minute. Remove and put in bowl. Cool mixture for a few minutes. Stir in 2 eggs, Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Then add crappie meat depending on size of crappie cake. Gently mix the mixture and form into crappie cakes. First dip both sides in flour, then in egg/water (egg and 1/4 cup water whisked together). Cover in bread crumbs and fry about 2 minutes on each side over medium heat.

Crappie Dip
by Jerry Blake, Pearcy, AR.

6-10 crappie fillets (2-3 cups worth)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon of Cajun seasoning
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (8 oz.) cream cheese
Approximately 6 cups of water
2-3 Tablespoons of Louisiana brand crawfish boil seasoning or Old Bay seasoning

Steep (don't boil) crappie in water and crawfish boil or Old Bay seasoning until fish flakes. Drain well and chill. Mix onion, celery, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, sour cream and cream cheese. Once crappie is sufficiently chilled, chop it and fold into wet mixture. Serve topped with chili sauce and Ritz crackers or veggies. Also makes great crappie salad sandwiches (without chili sauce, of course).

Blackened Crappie

10-12 crappie fillets
Tony Chacheres Creole or Zatarain's blackening seasoning
2 Tablespoons of butter

Begin heating your skillet to a high temperature. Thoroughly dry fillets then coat with seasoning. To ensure the seasoning is equal over the entire surface of the fillet, lay fillet on a paper towel, pick up towel by holding edges and roll fillet back and forth. Add butter to very hot pan. The butter should sizzle vigorously and smoke. Fry seasoned fillets approximately one minute on each side until done. Note: Blackening does not mean burnt, but rather heavily seasoned and fried hot and fast. Such should give you a crisp outside and tender inside.

Grilled Crappie

6-10 crappie fillets
Zesty Italian salad dressing

Yes, that's all. Marinade crappie fillets in Zesty Italian dressing for about 2 hours then grill. I like to use a George Forman grill on medium heat for about 10 minutes. A stove top grill can produce the same result, turn carefully. If using your BBQ grill, I recommend you use a hamburger cage to keep fillets together and ease of turning. Great when served with a fresh garden salad or cold pasta salad.

Crappie Ceviche

1 lb FRESH (unfrozen) fish fillets UNCOOKED
juice of three lemons
juice of three sour oranges or limes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
one medium onion, quartered and sliced near paper thin
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of cayenne/red pepper, Cajun Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (coriander)

Cut fish into thin pieces and place in a deep platter, Pyrex dish or bowl and marinade 5 hours at room temperature in the citrus juices. Please note, the citric acid cooks the fish. Drain. Add all other ingredients. Serve as an elegantly exotic appetizer on crackers or try your hand at using chopsticks. ENJOY! Since this is a Latin dish, an option is adding a shot or two of Tequila to the citrus juice. You may also wish to add Spanish olives or some salad shrimp.

Fancy Crappie with Grilled Corn

6 large crappie fillets
12 slices of Bacon
Lemon pepper
Salt
8 oz. Cream cheese
1 large, ripe Tomato
1 large Onion (yellow or purple)
Crab meat or Shrimp (optional)
White Wine
Aluminum Foil

Take a crappie filet and place on a sheet of aluminum foil. Place a slice of onion, tomato, cream cheese and some crab meat or shrimp on it and roll it up. Wrap a slice of bacon around the filet and sprinkle with lemon pepper and a little salt. Fold up the foil around it and then add about 3 tablespoons of white wine. Close the package up tight . Do this for each fillet. Place on the grill and cook about 6 minutes per side, depending on how hot the fire is. The white wine mixed with the melting cream cheese will make a great sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.

With fresh corn, take an ear and pull the husk down (Do not remove) and remove the silk. Wrap ear with a slice of bacon and fold the husk back up on it and place them on the grill. The corm will take a bit longer to cook than the crappie, so start them about 15 minutes early. Serve with salt, pepper and butter. If you do not want to cook in the husk, use a double layer of aluminum foil after completely shucking the corn. Add slaw and beans and you can feed four a "fancy" meal that's not hard to make.

Pickled Crappie

1. Fillet crappie from the bone leaving the skin on and remove scales. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Start with enough pieces that will fill a quart jar 2/3 full. You can double or triple this recipe if desired.

2. Make a brine with 1 cup pickling salt and 6 cups of water. Soak fish pieces for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Then drain

3. Now cover the salt-cured pieces of fish with white vinegar for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then drain.

4. Pack jars with alternating layers of fish and onion slices. Garlic cloves, peppercorns, dill springs and jalapeno peppers (slit and seeded) can also be added.

5. Make a pickling sauce by gently boiling and stirring 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of mixed pickling spices for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and pour over fish and other contents in jar.

6. Keep refrigerated and let sit for 14 days before eating to allow the pickling to penetrate the fish. The pickled crappie should keep for months with no problem.

Mexican Fish Salad
by Julie Morris, Paragould, AR.

2 cups cooked firm fish, flaked
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 to 3 cups shredded lettuce or cut-up salad greens
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
4 lime wedges
Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the fish, tomato, onion, bell peppers, cilantro and jalapeno. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil and salt. Divide the lettuce or salad greens among 4 plates. Divide the fish mixture and spoon over the 4 plates of lettuce. Drizzle the lime juice dressing over the salad. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Potato Fish Patties
by Jackie Morris, Port Isabel, TX.

1lb. Fish Fillets
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of shredded potato (raw)

Steam fish until tender and flakey. Mix all ingredients with fish in a bowl. Shape into patties and fry in skillet until golden brown. Recipe will make approximately 6 patties. Recipe may be doubled. Great for breakfast or dinner. Add your special ingredient of LOVE.

Crappie Stir Fry

6-8 Crappie Fillets (cut into bite sized nuggets)
Bell Pepper
Onion
Broccoli
Asparagus
Carrots
Mushrooms
Celery
Water Chestnuts
1/2 cup Stir Fry Sause
2 Tsp Soy Sause
Tsp Olive Oil
tsp of red pepper flakes
tsp kosher salt
tsp sesame seed oil

The secret to stir frying is to cook real hot and fast. So, in a hot skillet or wok add the stir fry sauce, sesame seed oil, half of the soy sauce, half the salt and half the red pepper flakes. Add approximately 1/2 to 1 cup each of the above vegetables cut, shredded or chopped to your desired size. I like to shred the carrots and chop everything else to an appropriate bite size. Stir fry until medium tender. Don't over cook. A little crunch is okay. Pour out of skillet or wok into a serving bowl.

With about a tablespoon of olive oil in a hot skillet, add crappie fillet nuggets, half the red pepper flakes, half the salt and half the soy sauce. Gently, stir or flip doing your best not to break the nuggets as they begin to flake until fully cooked. Pour out of skillet and serve on top of or complementary to the stir fried vegetables. Rice is an appropriate side dish.

Crappie Chowder

4 cups boneless crappie
8 cups water
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
4 cups potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup of butter
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
2-3 cups of milk

Steep the 4-cups boneless crappie fillets in about 8-cups of water seasoned with 1 – 2 Tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning for about 15-minutes, drain and chop/flake into small pieces.

While fillets are cooking, sauté about 4-cups of cubed style frozen hashbrown potatoes, ½-cup finely chopped onion, ½-cup finely chopped celery in about ¼-cup butter in a large skillet just until potatoes are tender but not mushy.

Add 1-can Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1-can of Cream of Celery Soup and 2 to 3-cups milk depending on how thick you want your chowder. Bring to a slow simmer, stir in fish, salt and pepper to taste (optional) and simmer about 20-minutes. Serve with Ritz or Oyster Crackers.

Healthy Poached Crappie
"My personal favorite"

2 Cloves of Garlic (or more)
2 medium onions (or more)
2/3 Cup of low-sodium chicken broth
Lemon juice of 3 lemons
Lemon zest of 3 lemons
1 small jar of Capers
12-24 Crappie fillets
4 cups (or more) sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a skillet saute the garlic and onion in olive oil until tender. Add broth, lemon juice and zest; bring to a boil. Add fish fillets and simmer gently until fish flakes with a fork. Remove fillets to shallow baking dish; keep warm. Simmer cooking liquids until somewhat reduced. Add mushrooms and capers and cook until tender to your liking. Stir in salt, paprika and pepper. Pour mushroom mixture over fillets. Sprinkle with cheese and lightly brown under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Top with parsley. Serve with ample amounts of sticky, Asian rice.

Striper Cajun Boil

Striper Fillet to serve 4-8 people (all red meat and lateral line MUST be removed)
(you can also add chunks of smoked sausage as desired)
New Potatoes
Baby Ears of Corn
Whole heads of Garlic
2-4 sticks of real butter

Start with a large stock pot and about twice the volume of water as the amount of food you plan to cook. Add about 1/4-cup Louisiana Fish Fry Products brand Crawfish, Crab, Shrimp Boil seasoning per quart of water or one or more pouches of Zatarain's brand Crawfish, Crab and Shrimp Boil Seasoning, depending on how spicy you want your food.

Bring seasoned water to a rolling boil and add the desired amount of small new potatoes and full heads of garlic and boil 5-minutes. Then add the desired amount of mini corn-on-the-cob, and boil an additional 15-minutes.

Turn the heat off, remove the corn (if you don't want it real spicy) and add chunks of striper fillets with all the red meat removed. Cover and let stand for 20 to 30-minutes - again depending on how spicy you want your food. Serve directly from the pot with a large slotted or screened spoon being careful not to break up the fish chunks too much. Drizzle with melted butter and enjoy!

The garlic can be eaten by either peeling each clove or squeezing the contents out.

This is truly a one pot meal. If you're cooking for a large crowd multiple batches can be made using the same water.

Carlos' Famous Hush Puppies

3/4 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup of self rising cornmeal mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup cream style corn
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped jalapenos

Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, egg, corn, oil, onion and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add milk just until batter will keep a spoon standing up. Use two spoons and drop by heaping teaspoons into 365-375-degree oil. Give them a poke if they don't turn over by themselves. Cook until dark brown on all sides.

If your hushpuppy falls apart in the oil, the batter is too thin. Test after the first batch, if the puppy is not light and fluffy, the batter is too thick, add milk.

NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR CREAM CORN IS "CREAMED" REAL WELL OR ANY
WHOLE CORN KERNELS MAY POP AND SPLATTER HOT GREASE ON YOU!!!!

Crappie Alfredo

4 large to medium crappie fillets
4 cups of water
1 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
small package of egg noodles
1 jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce

Boil very slowly crappie fillets in water and Old Bay seasoning for 15 minutes, drain and keep warm. While fillets are cooking, boil egg noodles until tender. While fish and noodles are cooking, heat the jar of Alfredo sauce in the microwave.

To serve two people, place a serving of noodles on a plate or shallow bowl. Flake two crappie fillets into bite-sized pieces over the noodles. Cover with hot Alfredo sauce. Serve with garlic bread, side salad and/or steamed vegetables.

Cheese Cracker Baked Crappie
by Jerry Blake

8-10 crappie fillets
2 cups Cheez Nip or Cheese Ritz crackers
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Butter or Olive oil

Place crackers, nuts and Cajun seasoning in a food processor and grind into a fine meal. Dry the fillets on a paper towel and coat fillets with about two tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil. Dredge coated fillet in cracker mixture. Arrange fillets in a cooking sprayed glass baking dish, careful not to overlap. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Crappie Sliders

2lbs. Chopped crappie meat
3 T. Flour
3 T. Bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Egg
1/2 cup chopped Chives
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
Juice from 1/2 a Lime
1/2 to 1 cup of pre-sautéed and cooled onions
1 t. grated Ginger

In a large mixing bowl combine the crappie meat, flour, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and egg. Mix well together. Add chives, cilantro, lime, onions and ginger. Form mixture into 2 to 3-inch patties and panfry in a lightly oiled pan to a golden brown. Assemble on a Slider Bun and dress with a cilantro mayo (mayo, cilantro, hot sauce, lemon juice and zest). Serve with a fresh garden salad and avocado slices. For a heartier meal make into full burger patties and serve on grilled hamburger buns, lettuce and tomato.

Fried Crappie Escovitch (Jamaican dish)

6 to10 Whole Crappie

The key to this famous Jamaican dish is whole fish with bone in. Clean and scale your fish, head on is optional. Other types of white-meated fish can be used and larger ones should be cut into bone-in steaks. Panfry your fish dry. Dry frying means no breading or cornmeal, just seasoning. A spicy Jamaican jerk dry rub is recommended.

To make your Escovitch sause use:

Pint of White Vinegar
1/2 pint of water
1T. salt
1T. cracked black pepper
2-3T. sugar
1t. ground All-spice

Bring to a boil dissolving the spice ingredients.
Then add a combination of these vegetables Julian style:

Onion (lots of onion), Carrot, three colors of Bell Pepper and a Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Pepper or two depending on how spicy you wish it to be.

Boil the relish for two minutes and remove from heat. The Escovitch sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated. Reheat prior to serving. Top your crispy, dry fried fish with the sauce/relish and enjoy. You know you did it right when your guests eat all the fish and half the bones too.

Fish Gravy by Melisa Hefner Johnson

1 Can of Original Rotel Tomatoes, drained

1 Can of Tomato Sauce

3 tbsp. of the hot oil you are cooking fish in

1/4 cup or so of fish meal (Louisiana Fish Fry)

Water

Put hot oil into skillet over medium to high heat. Add fish meal and stir into oil until it soaks up all of the oil. Add Rotel tomatoes and half the can of tomato sauce. Mix well. If you want it more tomatoey, add full can. Add water to get the consistency that you want. Remove from heat. Best if thick!

Bea's Cajun Fish with Stuffing

One stick of butter

One package of Seasoning Blend (onion, peppers and celery)

1-2 cups of small shrimp (pealed and deveined)

One box of Stove Top Stuffing

8-10 Crappie (Sac-a-lait) fillets
Cajun Seasoning

In a skillet melt the butter and sauté the seasoning blend and shrimp. Follow the Stuffing mix instructions (minus the butter) and add to skillet. Coat the crappie fillets with the Cajun Seasoning. In a 9x13 casserole pan, put a layer of stuffing mix on bottom. Add a layer of the seasoned crappie fillets and then a last layer of stuffing mix on top. Bake in oven at 325-350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the fish is flakey. Note: this recipe is SPICY, but it can be seasoned other ways. Let the good times roll.