Sheeps head the other fish
You are right on with this they are not bad, we have tried them deep fried along with walleye and no one was disapointed I have not tried the boil with butter and cocktail sauce but I will next chance I get thanks May be we can reduce ther numbers a little with a little positive press
sheep head aka freshwater drum
40 years ago when I moved to Ohio, I went fishing with my uncle at battery park in Sandusky when the pier was owned by Chessie System. We caught several nice drum but I was told they were "trashfish" and we threw them back.
They looked so meaty I called the marine section at Ohio U in Columbus and asked about them. The expert on the other end of the phone told me they
were a large scaled freshwater fish and as such the bad taste came from
dying bacteria and enzimes in the sliver lining of the skin.
He advised puting the fish on ice immediaytely when caught and that when making fillets to remove ABSOLUTELY ALL OF THE SILVER FROM THE MEAT.
Some even remove the daker stripe down the center of the fillet but I've not found this necessary. 2-3 pounders are the best IMHO.
Cut the FRESH fillets into 1" x 2" chunks and deep fry in canola oil using a
factory packaged batter called FRY CRISP. Mix the batter properly, not being too thick or too thin. EXCELLENT EATING!!!!!!
Deep fry some calliflower or egg plant using the same batter. Or make some
home fries.
It irks the hell out of me to see fishermen stab the drums with a knife and throw them back. Pure ignorance!!
Deep fried drum? Try it. I guarantee you will like it when properly prepared.
Drum from cold water and feeding on the zebra mussels have a rather sweet flavor. Go figure?