Improve your fish-eating experience by handling and bleeding your caught fish properly. Read on to find out the easiest and simplest way to get your freshly caught fish to last longer and taste better.
Spanish Mackerel and Mahi-Mahi have been firing all day and you and your mates decide to take a few home for the evening barbeque with friends and family.
Nothing beats freshly-caught fish but adding a few more steps to your fish handling system can take your fish dinners to the next level.
Bleeding your fish once they are caught preserves the quality of the meat. You can see and taste the difference whether cooked or served in its raw form.
Blood, if left inside a dead fish, provides nutrients for bacteria, allowing them to proliferate which speeds up meat degradation. Then add in the stress that the fish undergoes during the battle.
Lactic acid builds up in the fishes’ flesh and muscles which leads to a lesser quality meat. The sooner the fish is killed and bled, the better the quality of the meat will be.
“Blood, if left inside a dead fish, provides nutrients for bacteria, allowing them to proliferate which speeds up meat degradation.”
Results of a Long Battle
All animals, including humans and fish, experience lactic acid buildup in their muscles during intense physical activity and exertion. This is when the muscles in the body cannot be supplied with enough oxygen for it to perform their functions properly.
Akin to muscle cramps for us, fish meat gets ‘burned’ or damaged when there is lactic acid buildup if the battle goes on for too long. Larger game fish like the sushi star – Tuna, receive stringent quality inspection before purchase in fish markets around the world.
The more meat is burnt the lesser the fish’s value.
Pretty and Long Lasting
Most won’t mind a bit of blood here and there especially when marinating or dipping the fish in a batter before frying as these steps hide the blood spots in the meat.
But excess blood in the fish’s meat makes it difficult to clean and prepare for sushi. These blood spots are quite unappealing if served raw and you’ll get that fishy smell and taste that accompanies it.
Remember those perfect fillets you see on TV or in vacuum sealed pouches in the shops? They’ve been bled properly and cared for well thus the higher price.
Apart from just looking good, bleeding the fish also adds to the longevity of the meat, as mentioned above, less nutrients for bacteria to feed on.
4 steps on Fish Handling:
Step 1 – Bleed the Fish
The easiest and simplest way to bleed a fish is to cut the throat of the fish. Where the gill plates meet under their jaw.
Scissors or knives, your choice of weapon, but a quick dispatch and cut, then into a bucket of water for a few minutes. If your fish is too big for any practical bucket on board, tie up the fish’s tail wrist, make sure there aren’t sharks around and chuck it overboard.
Pull up the fish by its tail, and check for blood drippage. No more blood dripping? Time for ice.
Step 2 – Ice the Fish
Fish, or any type of seafood spoil fast. Icing your bled fish immediately slows down decomposition of the meat. If you plan on taking your fish home, you have to bring plenty of ice.
A bag of ice from the service station to keep your drinks cool is not enough. Crushed ice, or an ice slurry is great because they can get into the fish and cool the innards, crevices and small tight spots on the fish.
If crushed ice is unavailable, try to bury your caught and bled fish in ice for maximum effectiveness. If you have the time and energy, gutting the fish before icing is best, then chuck some ice inside the body before burying the carcass in ice.
Step 3 – Clean and Rinse Well
If you don’t plan to cook your fish within the next couple of days, it is advised to gut your fish and clean it thoroughly before freezing.
The fish’s guts have plenty of nasty stuff like bacteria and the sort, so make sure you are thorough when gutting your fish. Gills, stomach and innards should be removed.
Any organ damage while removing the innards will result in some blood and guts explosions, so make sure you wash out the residue and excrement cocktail well.
More bacteria leads to faster spoilage, further leading to a fishy and metallic flavor of meat.
Step 4 – Fillet and Freeze
If you plan to keep your fish in the fridge for several days, it is a good idea to avoid rinsing the meat right before you bag and freeze. Obviously, you’ve gutted the fish and rinsed it well beforehand.
Fillet, bag and freeze. No need to rinse the fillets again before bagging. This is why bleeding the fish is so important. The absence of blood allows you to not have to wash the fillets in water ‘again’ before freezing. Too much exposure to tap water is not good for the meat.
Apart from further exposure to nasties like bacteria and water additives, freezing a wet piece of meat will damage the meat itself. Whatever moisture is left after filleting your fish is alright, but if you’ve soaked or rinsed the fillets in water, dry them with paper towels before bagging and freezing.
You’ll get a longer shelf life doing this.
Yeah, we may not be sushi masters, or have the taste buds of Michelin star inspectors, but we do love some fresh sashimi after a long day of fishing and we love to share a fish dinner with friends and family too, so bleeding a freshly caught fish the next time you go fishing is a way to ensure that you make the most out of your catch.
If you are looking for a true sport fishing company that offers specialized topwater and jigging adventures anywhere in the Pacific Islands, contact Ocean Blue Fishing now for your Vanuatu Fishing trips and needs!
