Sheepshead Fillets

Here is a Sheepshead fillets with scales on, but as you can see I removed the rib cage. I don’t suggest going this route when cleaning your fish especially if you want to eat out of a fish bowl!



Sheepshead Grilling Night at our house!

When daddy cooked sheepshead it always turned out good! And for me it was even better, because there weren’t any dishes involved. This meant no dish washing on Sheepshead grilling night! If you have been reading my stories you already know my father, on a notion, would throw our pots and pans out into the yard. Well, before I get too far out on another subject about my father let me shared this one with you first!



I dropped them directly on to the grill and let them cook while thinking about old cooking times that I had with my father. If it were way back then, it wouldn’t have been a gas grill it would have been charcoal. And he wouldn’t be just watching he would be adding sipping to the equation!

Captain Judy’s old time family recipe on how to grill a Sheepshead!

Sheepshead Fillets (Do not scaled, just fillet the fish and leave rib cage intact with fillet. Important please read recipe first!)
Gas or charcoal grill
Butter, Garlic, Salt pepper and any other seasoning that you care to add (Bay Seasoning, lemon pepper, etc)

First you will need to clean your Sheepshead. Please read all of this: Do not scale your Sheepshead. Fillet the fish leaving the rib section intact, but once again, don’t remove the scales. Heck, you don’t even have to gut the fish; because once you fillet it you are done. You can then throw the caucus back to the wild, put your fillet on ice, and proceed home. When you are ready to cook your catch I always suggest either spraying your grill with Pam or brush lightly with oil. In the past since Pam had not been invented; I always brushed lightly with oil. We always had a cleaned used or sometimes even a new paint brush around! Then light your grill and get it hot. Now, in our case, we did not cook with gas we cooked with charcoal. Our grill was not a store brought one. My father made it from car parts, which he welded together. And the cover was made from part of a car hood. And no matter what, he always told me the story about the car the grill was made from and of course how many people were injured in the accident. Although, I do remember the story changing a few times I certainly never questioned the discrepancies! After sipping more than a few, it seems more details surfaced about the fatal or not car crash that supposedly occurred!

Back to the fish, once it is hot, put your fish (with scales down) directly on the grill. Once getting your fish situated on the grill you want to cook it steady, but you don’t want to catch it on fire either. (The reason I brought this up is believe me it can happen. I am speaking from experience!) You can add salt, pepper, Old Bay, or any other kind of seasoning that you prefer. Put directly on the meat. Please do not turn your fillets. The best news and my father loved this, all he had to do was to relax, sip a few, and let it cook.

As the fish cooks the edges will turn up making a bowl shape. Now it time to add butter and garlic, which really makes the meat taste great! However, you can add anything you would like from wine to Cajun seasoning. The bowl shape holds whatever liquid type seasonings you add allowing it to get sucked up by the meat. When the meat is white and flaky your meal will be done. Remove your fillets and put them directly on a plate, or in our case directly on the kitchen table. The best news is no matter whether you put on a “plate or not” it so simple to eat. Just dip your fish directly out of the bowl. My father always said, “Serving your fish this way not only gave your guests something great to eat, but it brought to the table a very interesting conversation!” Believe me you will not only be a hit in the fishing department but also in the kitchen. Just think your family might even want you to go fishing more often!

Next week I am going to publish Poor Man’s Crab Stew, which can be made with the grill fish leftovers or not!

Thanks for reading! Captain Judy