My neighbor Brian has had his culinary creations featured on this website, and it turns out he has a buddy Ravi who shares his passion for prepping delicious fish dishes. Ravi smoked the recent large opelu I had caught. and they came out awesome.

My sister did a simple pan fry of the malu, highlighting the clean, flaky meat. Here are the simple steps to prepare these two fish. And here’s the report detailing how these fish were caught.

Smoked opelu:

Brine, pat dry, refrigerate for an hour to allow smoke flavoring to adhere better. Smoke at 180 degrees for an hour. Finish with higher heat to brown the outside, if needed. Should come out moist on the inside.

Pan-fried malu:

Salt, garlic powder, dredge in flour. Pan fry. Malu is moist and flaky with a delicate taste. The skin crisped up nicely with a reddish orange color.