Fresh Fish

[Chief Grey Bear]

Correction. Shows how much I pay attention to them....

PETA....

I had posted to you that it was PETA.

And then I thought no, he meant PITA.

Because we all know that PETA is really a PITA(Pain In The Asss)

[Tanderson15]

If it doesn't warm up pretty soon I won't have to worry about cleaning and freezing fish.

[Feathers and Fins]

Suppose to be high 60's soon

[rps]

I was shown a way to fillet many years ago. It is not as fast I see chefs and fishing boat pros, but the results are the best in two categories, meat quality and knife edge retention.

With the knife edge pointing at the tail, insert the tip of the knife 1/2 inch deep and parallel to and as close to the junction of the skull cap and the spine as possible. Use your wrist to aim the tip toward the tail and cut the skin upwards toward the tail as close to the spine bones and fin as you can. Proceed to the point where you are even with the anal vent. Change the hand position and work the tip into the fish as close to the spine as you can and come out at the vent. Put pressure on the blade to flex it and work the blade to the tail with easy sawing motions. Cut the tail flap free from within the fish.

Reverse the knife and with the cutting edge facing the spine and ribs and aimed at the head, place the blade along the spine. Use hand pressure to slightly flex the blade and work the belly of the cutting edge toward the insertion point as close to the bones as possible. Repeat as necessary to separate the fillet from the spine and ribs past the point where the ribs curve back in toward the bottom side.

Using the knife tip, insert the at the initial point and cut fro below the skin upwards to cut fro the initial point along the gill cover to the belly cavity. Turn the tip and cut the thin flesh and skin of the belly back to the vent where you have previously separated the fillet from the tail section. Use the belly of the knife edge to separate the finally flesh attachments to the ribs and remove the fillet with skin from the carcass.

This method avoids cutting bone and scales, separates flesh closely from all elase, and avoids piercing organs.

At some point I will post pictures for the visual learners.

[rps]

The above ^^^ was an attempt to write how to instructions. Almost as difficult as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

[Jerry Rapp]

The above ^^^ was an attempt to write how to instructions. Almost as difficult as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I am still using the Bass O Matic. Thanks SNL.

[Kchap]

PETA is defined in my family as People Eating Tasty Animals.

[Terrierman]

Every fish I catch goes directly into ice. With white bass especially, we go with the old Florida method and add a salt brine to the ice for a quick death and very rapid cooling of the meat. This also makes filleting much easier, as they are essentially frozen at that point. The more oily the fish, the faster it needs to be chilled, in my opinion. I have eaten too many white bass, along with other species, that died in livewells. Based on those experiences, I can understand why many people don't enjoy eating them. On ice, the fishiness is taken away, and there is then no reason to cut out the red meat. Also, when freezing, I fill the bag with water so that the fillets are covered and everything freezes in a solid block. This removes freezer burning, as well as many other off-flavors that occur with dry freezing. I don't think ice is nearly as important for fish that survive well in a livewell, but again, personal preference for filleting stiff fish means they all get the cooler.

Hard for me to imagine ever leaving the red line in any fish that has one. Well, any freshwater fish anyway. No need on Snapper for example. I've lived for a long time by the credo that fish meat needs to be snow white. You won't go wrong that way with catfish, striper, hybrid or white bass. But I have a very sophisticated palate.

[Chillfish]

I guarantee that if you let a snapper die in the livewell of a bass boat in 70 degree water instead of putting it directly onto ice, that the red line would disturb even an unsophisticated palate. If you treat striper, hybrids, and whites like saltwater fish, they tend to taste a lot like them.

[Terrierman]

I guarantee that if you let a snapper die in the livewell of a bass boat in 70 degree water instead of putting it directly onto ice, that the red line would disturb even an unsophisticated palate. If you treat striper, hybrids, and whites like saltwater fish, they tend to taste a lot like them.

I'll take your word for it. Never done it.