Garfish Patties or Choupique Balls

Some folks think of garfish as just a fish to throw away, but if they are cleaned and cooked properly, they really taste great!

Garfish, or some people just call them gar, or some locals call them Choupique  (pronounced, "shoe-pick" have the texture of chicken, but no, they do not taste like chicken! They are also not a flaky fish.

Garfish can get pretty big! Some have been found to be 10 feet long, and can weigh as much as 300 lbs. That's a lot of good eating, if you are lucky enough to catch one!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 lbs. Garfish meat
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 packet of fish fry or a mixture of 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon each black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika (optional)
• Oil for frying
  

Directions:

1. Grind garfish in meat grinder or food processor or scrape meat with spoon off bone.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Mix well and form into balls or patties (golf ball size or larger if desired). If making coating from scratch, combine in a bowl the dry ingredients.
3. Roll in the fish fry or seasoned corn meal coating and deep fry until golden brown.
4. Serve alone or with your favorite dipping sauce. Goes really great with crab or shrimp stew.