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By Fredlyfish4 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Bluegill
Alternative Names: Bream, Brim, Perch, Sunfish
Monterey Bay Recommendation: No recommendation. No commercial fishery.
Uses in Cooking: This small fish is best fried or baked whole. Larger specimens can be filleted and grilled or battered and fried.
Similar Fish: Largemouth bass, crappie, rockfish
Description: Firm and clean tasting with medium flakes. The flesh can be almost completely translucent when raw and cooks to bright white.
Fun Facts: The bluegill is the state fish of Illinois. Nearly as tall as they are long, the shape of a bluegill is believed to be an adaptation that makes it hard for them to be swallowed.