buddha162
Moderator
As anglers, we are fortunate enough to pluck fresh seafood from the water ourselves, and not rely on middlemen to (mis)handle our dinner. As such, we have a duty to the fish ---- and our stomachs --- to properly care for our catch. When it comes to flavor and texture, the culinary journey begins the moment you land your fish!
Step 1: Bleeding
All species of fish benefit from a clean bleed. Some fish are almost inedible unless you bleed them (big bluefish, striped bass); some will yield prettier fillets for raw preps (fluke)...but most fish will store and taste better if bled properly.
Fish need to be bled while still alive, and submerged in water after cutting. For large fish, make sure at least the head/gills are submerged in water during the bleeding process. On a boat, this usually involves a white bucket filled with seawater.
Some fish bleed easily, and some require more specific cuts:
Bluefish, Bonito, and Stripers: poke them anywhere in the gills and they will bleed out rapidly.
Porgy, Tog, Seabass: lay the fish flat, stab down near the top of the gills, and angle your cut towards the backbone until your knife tip/edge hits the backbone. For tog, repeat on the other side.
Fluke: by far the trickiest fish to bleed. Make a shallow nick with the tip of your blade, right into the purple membrane behind the gills. Get the fish in water ASAP. If fish is still alive after 3-5 minutes, repeat on other side. This is the "quick" method for bleeding fluke...to really get every ounce of blood out, you would have to cut both the gill membrane and clip the tail...but no one has time for that while fishing, esp from a kayak!
Step 2: Icing Down
Once your fish is bled dry, you need to transfer your fish into a cooler asap. Some people use a saltwater ice slurry, others use block ice frozen in plastic bottles...either works fine, the key is to not let your fish sit in freshwater ice melt. Once your fish is chilled, do your best to maintain a low temperature in the cooler. Since I use frozen water bottles, often I will dump a bag of loose ice over the top of the fish on the way home, esp in the heat of summer. The fish sits on top of the block ice, and any ice melt will drain below the fish. Consider investing in a quality cooler that will keep ice longer.
For most species, asides from big bluefish, if properly bled and iced down, you can wait as long as 24-32 hours to gut or fillet. For raw preparations, it is important to let the fish go through rigor prior to cutting, but that's another topic that we will explore in the coming weeks!
Below is a short, unlisted clip demonstrating how I bleed fluke and porgy. Off camera, I transfer the fish into my cooler filled with block ice which sits behind me on the kayak:
Step 1: Bleeding
All species of fish benefit from a clean bleed. Some fish are almost inedible unless you bleed them (big bluefish, striped bass); some will yield prettier fillets for raw preps (fluke)...but most fish will store and taste better if bled properly.
Fish need to be bled while still alive, and submerged in water after cutting. For large fish, make sure at least the head/gills are submerged in water during the bleeding process. On a boat, this usually involves a white bucket filled with seawater.
Some fish bleed easily, and some require more specific cuts:
Bluefish, Bonito, and Stripers: poke them anywhere in the gills and they will bleed out rapidly.
Porgy, Tog, Seabass: lay the fish flat, stab down near the top of the gills, and angle your cut towards the backbone until your knife tip/edge hits the backbone. For tog, repeat on the other side.
Fluke: by far the trickiest fish to bleed. Make a shallow nick with the tip of your blade, right into the purple membrane behind the gills. Get the fish in water ASAP. If fish is still alive after 3-5 minutes, repeat on other side. This is the "quick" method for bleeding fluke...to really get every ounce of blood out, you would have to cut both the gill membrane and clip the tail...but no one has time for that while fishing, esp from a kayak!
Step 2: Icing Down
Once your fish is bled dry, you need to transfer your fish into a cooler asap. Some people use a saltwater ice slurry, others use block ice frozen in plastic bottles...either works fine, the key is to not let your fish sit in freshwater ice melt. Once your fish is chilled, do your best to maintain a low temperature in the cooler. Since I use frozen water bottles, often I will dump a bag of loose ice over the top of the fish on the way home, esp in the heat of summer. The fish sits on top of the block ice, and any ice melt will drain below the fish. Consider investing in a quality cooler that will keep ice longer.
For most species, asides from big bluefish, if properly bled and iced down, you can wait as long as 24-32 hours to gut or fillet. For raw preparations, it is important to let the fish go through rigor prior to cutting, but that's another topic that we will explore in the coming weeks!
Below is a short, unlisted clip demonstrating how I bleed fluke and porgy. Off camera, I transfer the fish into my cooler filled with block ice which sits behind me on the kayak:
