“Summer Fishing in the Northern United States with Ernie Calandrelli”

Part 5: Quick and Easy Filleting

Editor’s Note: Ernie Calandrelli of Orchard Park, New York, the public-relations director for Quaker Boy Calls, has fished below Niagara Falls on the Niagara River for more than 50 years and guided on the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario for 21 years. This week, Calandrelli will tell us where to fish and how he catches, fillets and cooks his catch.

Question: Ernie, what do you do with all the walleyes, crappie and yellow perch you catch?

Calandrelli: I’ll fillet them for me and my customers to eat.

Question: What do you fillet them with?

Calandrelli: I use the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife.

Question: Why do you prefer the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife?

Calandrelli: I encourage catch-and-release with smallmouth bass. However, when you catch walleyes, yellow perch, bluegills and crappie, I encourage catch, fillet and eat. You don’t get much better table fare than those species of fish. I use the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife to easily and quickly prepare these fish for the table. All my clients want to keep and eat these species.

On some days, I fillet nine to 15 walleye and 30 to 40 perch for my clients. I may have to do this for several weeks. So, I have to use a knife that can withstand this abuse and keep working. Too, I’m in a hurry to clean fish because I’m taking care of my clients. I need a quality sharp blade that will make the initial cut down and across the backbone quickly without the blade’s getting gummed-up in the meat. When I fillet the inside of the fish, I don’t want the blades to be sucking that meat between them and slowing down the cutting action of the electric knife.

The Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife is the best electric knife I’ve ever used. We have great fish-cleaning stations in the area where I fish. When I come in from fishing, I can plug in the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife and in one motion, go from having a fish that needs to be cleaned to a filleted fish.

With one stroke, I cut behind the gills down to the backbone, roll the blade horizontal to parallel, slide the blade down the backbone to almost into the tail and then flip the fillet over while the skin is still attached to the tail. Next I take my Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife and run it parallel to the skin side of the fish. Then I flip the clean fillet out on the table, cut out the ribs, wash the fillet under running water and put it in a Ziploc bag for the trip home.

Question: How fast can you fillet fish with the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife?

Calandrelli: Very fast.

Question: How long have you been using the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knives?

Calandrelli: I’ve used them for probably 20 years. I’ve had many fillet knives over the years, but none have been able to clean fish as long, stay as sharp and need as few repairs as the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife. Any time a new electric fillet knife comes out on the market, I’ll buy one and try it. But I haven’t found one that gives quality service, has a better guarantee and works trouble-free for as long as the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife.

Question: Ernie, you catch and eat a lot of fish. What’s one of your favorite fish recipes?

Calandrelli: I love crab cakes. But catching and cleaning crabs and digging the meat out of crabs is more hassle than I’m willing to endure. So, I make fish cakes. The recipe’s quite simple. I went to the Internet and ordered some crab-cake mixes. I bake my walleyes, crappie, perch or bluegills until the meat becomes flaky, which doesn’t take long. Instead of using crab meat, I put the white flaky fish meat into the cakes with the crab-cake seasonings.

So, I have fish cakes instead of crab cakes that are quick and easy to make, and I don’t have to buy the crab meat or worry about catching and cleaning out crab meat from crabs’ shells. I can eat fish cakes just about any night I come in from fishing without much hassle. With my Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knife and my crab-cake mix, I can eat fish cakes while others who aren’t using the Mister Twister Electric Fisherman fillet knives are still cleaning fish.

To fish with Ernie Calandrelli, call Ernie’s Guide Service at (716) 609-3064, or email ernieqv@yahoo.com.