trollmonkey, sorry that I didn't reply to your question when you wrote it, I guess I must have missed it. If you are still interested in frying some kokes but don't know how, this is what I do.
I first start with bone free and skin free fillets. I then cut these fillets into pieces of equal thickness. For example, I cut all of the belly meat off so that they can be fried together since they will fry very quickly. Then I cut all of the tail meat off from the thicker body meat since this take longer than the belly meat but not as long as the body meat. Then, if the fish are large enough, I will halve the thickness of the body meat so as to make sure that it cooks all the way through more evenly.
Once these preparations are made and the fish is freshly washed, I salt and pepper to taste. Once seasoned to taste, I then roll each piece in corn meal ensuring that it is completely covered. Some people prefer straight flour, and others a 50/50 mix of flour and corn meal. I like the corn meal because it makes the fish crispier and this is the way I like my fish. Once I have several fish ready to fry I get my skillet ready. I usually use vegetable oil but sometimes will use olive oil instead. I like to make sure I use plenty of grease, too little and I have trouble not burning the grease. I cannot tell you what heat to bring the grease to, I only know to go by sight and sound. I know that I want my fish to sizzle well when I first lay them in the skillet. Be warned though that if you get the grease too hot you will begin to burn your corn meal and this will ruin the fish you cook after that so you'll want to start over with a clean skillet and fresh grease before you continue after such an occurance. Your fish will cook faster and crispier if you learn to cook them with a lid but it does take more skill to do so without burning them.
From the cooking posts I've seen from others on this site, I'm quite certain that there are some who can give you good advice on the right temperatures to bring your grease to. But there is some joy in just playing it by ear and learning by trial and error as well.
When your fish are done in the skillet, make sure you lay them out on a clean dry paper towel so they can drain the excess grease. But it is at this time that you will really have to watch your fish closely, during this cooling process is when they really begin to disappear, if you know what I mean.
If you do not want to fillet your fish, there is another option for you that may not be as good but will be better than nothing. If you split your fish down the middle lengthwise, cutting right along the spine, you will allow the meat to cook up better than it otherwise would if you were to try frying it whole. It will still have the bones but at least the meat will be a lot crispier.
Again, I apologize for not seeing your question earlier, but if you enjoy this method let me know. I've not had any trouble with having too many fish, ever. This is the same way I fry trout, bass, bluegill, crappie, steelhead and even salmon. Of course, I don't think fried fish can ever compare to those roasted fresh right over a good alder wood fire. Best wishes to you and happy eating.
Skookum
