Jeff, here's how my grandmother cleaned (and cooked) bluegills.
Scale. Remove head and guts. Coat with seasoned flour (black pepper to taste was mixed with the flour and a bit of salt). Fry in Crisco. Peel off skin and pull out fins, peel meat away from skeleton. Eat.
She (and I) can have a fish skeleton that looks like one in the kids cartoons.
If I filleted them she would say that I was wasting too much meat.
Esshup I ordered pescado frito in Rio Lagartos, Mexico once and it was prepared just like that (except they likely used lard instead of Crisco). Only the head was left on. Fish was big enough it hung off the plate.
Was very good, but I did not eat the eyes.
