Southern Gar Balls with Cajun Gravy

If you’ve ever wrestled a prehistoric-looking gar from the murky backwaters of the South, you know they’re more than just fun to catch — they’re also surprisingly delicious. While gar meat isn’t as mainstream as catfish or redfish, it holds a firm place in Southern culinary tradition, especially in the form of crispy, golden gar balls smothered in rich Cajun gravy.

This recipe is a perfect way to use your gar meat (or really any firm white fish) and celebrate a time-honored way of turning rough, bony fish into a crave-worthy dish. If you’ve never tried gar balls, prepare yourself: this is Southern comfort food with a spicy Louisiana twist.

Ingredients

Gar Balls

• 2 lbs gar meat (or any firm white fish)
• 1/4 cup minced green onions
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 3 tbsp minced parsley
• 1 jalapeño or serrano, minced
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Fine cornmeal or flour, for dusting
• Oil for frying

Gravy

• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour (Wondra preferred for a smooth finish)
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup minced green pepper, poblano, or jalapeño
• 1/2 cup minced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pint stock (beef, chicken, or fish)
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• Salt, Worcestershire, and hot sauce to taste

How to Make Gar Balls

1. Prep the Meat:
   If you’ve got a meat grinder, use a fine die (4.5 mm) to grind the fish. No grinder? Pulse diced fish in a food processor until minced but not paste-like. If you’ve hand-scraped the meat from a big gar, just mince it finely.
2. Mix the Ingredients:
   Combine fish with green onions, celery, parsley, minced pepper, Cajun seasoning, breadcrumbs, and eggs. You want a firm but moist consistency — enough to shape into balls. Too wet? Add breadcrumbs. Too dry? Crack in another egg.
3. Form & Fry:
   Shape into golf ball–sized portions, dust them lightly in cornmeal or flour, and fry in 350°F oil for 4–6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp. Let rest on a wire rack over a sheet tray to keep them crisp.

Pro tip: Let your oil return to temp between batches for best results.

Make the Cajun Gravy

1. Roux Time:
   Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux darkens — at least the color of peanut butter, but preferably milk chocolate. This rich base takes about 15+ minutes.
2. The Trinity & Garlic:
   Toss in onion, green pepper, and celery, sautéing for 5–8 minutes. Add garlic in the last couple minutes. Sprinkle in Cajun seasoning.
3. Build the Gravy:
   Slowly whisk in the stock — bit by bit — until the texture is smooth and silky like melted ice cream. Finish with salt, Worcestershire, and hot sauce to taste.

Serve It Up

Warm the gar balls in the gravy, then ladle everything over a mound of fluffy white rice. It’s rustic, hearty, and packed with the kind of bold, soulful flavor only found deep in the South.

Whether you’re cooking your catch after a bayou trip or just bringing a bit of Louisiana to your kitchen, this gar ball recipe will have you scraping the plate. Don’t be surprised if it becomes a regular request in your house.

KILLSHOT Life Tip: Next time you’re in the marsh chasing big gar or bowfishing under the moon, remember: you're not just hunting for sport — you’re hunting for dinner. Eat what you kill. Hunt good. Don’t suck.