youtube is how i learned

cleaning a gar is a litle tough to start, but it gets easier and the meat is definately worth the effort. We use a cane knife or matchet to start with and then finish the job with a filet knife. You want make your first whack right behind the head to open up the scaled armour. After you have an opening, continue using the cane knife to work your way all the way down to the tail. You'll cut about a 2 to 2 1/2' wide section of scales out from the head to the tail and then you can use your filet knife to finish the job. All you want to keep is the two long filets on either side of the 'spine' (the filets will look like deer back strap). As far cooking the gar, we like to cut the back stap in 1/4' wide slices and fry it! It's very tasty!

I do it a little different than previously said. I start at the tail with a hatchet or machete. I have a board set up with a 3/8 bolt sticking up, which I place the gar's bunghole on to keep it in a position so I can cut from the tail along the back to the head. Then take your knife and cut the shell from the meat or hang it an pull the hide off with catfish skinning pliers. If you try to pull the hide off, I recommend wearing gloves because of the sharp scales.

All the meat is good on the gar, not just the 'back strap'. I like to stuff it with onions and peppers in the meat, then brown it on the stove and let it cook for a couple of hours like you would with a duck. It will not fall apart like catfish but it will flake off with a fork. Serve over rice with your favorite vegetables.


Warren

i agree with the hatchet, or cane knife, but i like to have a piece of pipe, or a broom handle that is driven in the ground. open the fishes mouth and shove him down on the pipe. then you can use your cane knife or hatchet as previously stated, makes the fish more stable. i have had smoked garfish, garfish patties, and fried garfish, its a very versatile fish, the meat is very firm, and won't fall apart on the grill.

First thing, gar meat does not hold up in water. It becomes mushy and hard to handle. Don't freeze them, don't even clean the meat off with water. I take a dry rag and pat the meat. Just my opinion.

Before you start cleaning off the gar rinse the slime off the best you can. You want to try to avoid messing with the slime while cleaning as the gar will slide everywhere while cutting. You can also hang the gar from something, that is a way to avoid having to touch the carcass too much.

I clean my gar with a hatchet and knife. Cut the head off and then cut alongside the back all the way to the tail. Just cut through the tough outer skin. Grab a good sharp knife and cut the meat away from the hide(skin). The meat comes away from the skin sooooo easy, you will see. Cut the meat away from the back all the way down to the stomach. You can cut around the anal and caudal fins. You will end up with the inner carcass still attached to the tail. Grab the hatchet and cut the tail off. You might have to chop around the stomach away from the meat with the hatchet too. You will be left with two huge sides of meat. Cut them away from the stomach and you will have 2, 2.5' long pieces of meat. There are also some real good cuts of meat around the stomach. Fool around and see if you can cut some chunks off.

I love to cut the meat into huge rectangular pieces and fry them fresh. It is unbelievably good. All you really need is Corn meal/flour....half/half mix. A little salt and pepper. Did I mention it was good.

Gar meat also holds up well on a gas grill. You can put those chunks of meat on a grill too. Gar holds together well enough to barbecue it. You can put it on the grill and flip it and flip it without it falling to pieces. This is unlike most other fishes.

Bon ape tit'

clean it like everybody said below then grind the meat up with onions, green onions, and seasonings to your liking. roll them into boulets with a lil flour to keep them together then brown them real good in your black pot and you could put put a lil roux when you add your water to thicken the gravey and cook it down on medium to low for about and hour and a half 2 hours. then enjoy it over rice.

Cut that gar into steaks from head to tail. Freeze all of it. After frozen you can filet knife off the outer edges of steaks. Put in cast iron pot with with lid, tomato sauce and onions and peppers. 350 degrees for 2 hours then check to add water then finish off for another 2 hours. Easy cooking- good eatin.

Cisco

First let me say that safety is first when doing this, if you have a pair of kevlar gloves or cut resistant gloves, use them. I have a nasty scar on my hand from cleaning one with a machete. I wasn't swinging it hard, my knives are extremely sharp, and I didn't have a cleaning board. In short I wound up cutting the extensor tendon in my left hand and after surgery and physical therapy I have about 90% of use in that hand and a pain that will never go away. Congradulations on a very nice gar, where did you catch him?

Ive used the hatchet to clean them, but now i just use a pair of tin snips. I find it safer and easier for me. Nice looking gar. i hope to shoot a few too real soon

I watched my grandfather clean many of garfish he use to tie rope thru the gill to a pole and use a machette to strip them down , then he would grind the meat up in a old time hand powered grinder he had , my grandmother would boil some potatoes and mix some in with the gar meat along with schallots and seasonings ,kinda like a codfish cake , then roll little meat balls out of the mix deep fry that and then she had a paper bag of a seasoning mix , I really wish I knew what all was in the bag , I know it was a little bit of sugar , salt , pepper and what ever , as soon as the balls came out the grease she would put them in the bag and shake them up ------he use to always stress the point to me to not eat the eggs out a gar as they were poisinous to humans ------------ when I was a kid the garfish we so thick in Terra Beouf , you don't see that any more