Flesh quality

Why # 4???

Why # 4???

From my dealings with fresh fillets I have found that some react much more to fresh water than others. In very general terms Dark meated fish don't react well to contact with water. This includes salmon, mackerel, blue fish, swordfish, tuna and several others, mostly pelagics.
White meated fish tend to not be affect the same way. It is also important to note that the firmer the meat on bottom fish the less temperamental they are about water.
You don't want to leave any water on the fillets though. If I rinse a fillet I pat it dry with a paper towel. Then to store in the fridge I wrap the fillet in dry paper towels and then wrap with plastic wrap. Those fillets will keep in the fridge like that 3-5 days, longer if they are very cold and been handled well.

From my dealings with fresh fillets I have found that some react much more to fresh water than others. In very general terms Dark meated fish don't react well to contact with water. This includes salmon, mackerel, blue fish, swordfish, tuna and several others, mostly pelagics.
White meated fish tend to not be affect the same way. It is also important to note that the firmer the meat on bottom fish the less temperamental they are about water.
You don't want to leave any water on the fillets though. If I rinse a fillet I pat it dry with a paper towel. Then to store in the fridge I wrap the fillet in dry paper towels and then wrap with plastic wrap. Those fillets will keep in the fridge like that 3-5 days, longer if they are very cold and been handled well.

Here's what I've found to produce the best quality eating fish.  These methods were perfected in the quest to have good frozen albacore at home.  Albacore is particulaly finicky and will get mushy and fishy easily.

1) Bleed.  I just rip the gills out.  Something really satisfying about getting so carnal.  Brain or bonk the fish to prevent excessive flopping.
2) Chill your fish ASAP.  For albies, we do a saltwater ice slush for rapid cooling, then on crushed ice.  Don't let your fish soak in fresh water.
3) Keep your fillets clean and cold.  Gut your fish before filleting.  Scrape the slime off the fish by running a knife with the grain of the scales.  Don't let any fish slime get on your fillets.  Rinse your cutting board and knife often.
4) Don't rinse your fillets in fresh water.  If you were careful with step 3, you shouldn't have to rinse.
5) Remove bloodlines on fishes where the taste is strong.  It only gets stronger, especially if you are panning of freezing the fillets.
6)  Don't rip the skin off like you see some do with albacore or dorado.  It leaves part of the skin attached to the fillets with imparts a fishy flavor.  If you do it this way, then cut a thin portion away from what's left of the skin side.  Or do the normal removal of skin by running a knife between the skin and the meat on a cutting board.
7) Chill your fillets in the fridge wrapped in paper towel to wick away excess moisture.  Do this at least overnight.
Now, most of us don't have blast freezers at home, but freezing as quickly as possible is important.  Here's a trick I learned long ago.  Make a super saturated salt solution (add salt until it no longer dissolves) in a 5 gallon bucket about 1/2 to 3/4 full.  Place this in your man freezer in the garage before hand. The salt keeps it from freezing but the water gets to the freezer temp.  Vacuum pack your fillets and drop them it in this solution.  Liquid has better thermal properties than air and your fillets will freeze quickly.
9) When it comes time to defrost, remove the fillets from the vacuum pack, wrap in paper towel and let it defrost in the fridge.  The paper towel wicks the moisture away from the fillet so it doesn't defrost in it's own juices.

-Allen

Great info guys, thanks!

Why # 4???

You can quickly see the difference.  A "fresh" filet will have a translucent quality to the meat.  Rinse it in water and you'll see the meat become more opaque.  The texture changes too.

-Allen

Great info. Guys. Guess i don't take as much care as some but i do rip the gills out with pliers on both sides usually bonk the bigger ones but don't just wail on 'em, just want 'em stunned so they don't flop around much.

I don't gut rockfish and lings before i fillet but i do Salmon because water doesn't hurt  the salmon until after it's filleted, you can rinse it with fresh water while it's whole and the gut cavity with no problem.

My experience with dark meat is mostly Salmon and some albacore, too much water turns the fillets to mush. Like FG said, white fish is much more resistant to water damage

I use a half roll of paper towels when i'm vac sealing. Pat 'em dry and then do it again and put a folded piece of paper towel in the seal end of the bag to soak up the moisture that's sucked out of thfish when sealing.

Learned a ton from this thread.  I had no idea that water would actually damage the meat even from just rinsing it.

I'll add that I almost always let most fish go through rigor before I fillet them.  Easier to fillet and the meat has a much better texture when cooked.  I find this especially true with salmonids.  I usually end up either filleting them before or after they go though rigor, but NEVER when in rigor.  If I pull a salmon out of the fish box and its stiff as cordwood it gets to sit in the fish fridge until is out of rigor.

Learned a ton from this thread.  I had no idea that water would actually damage the meat even from just rinsing it.

It is all about osmotic pressure.  The reason fresh water will eventually turn your fish to mush is that fish flesh will absorb fresh water.  Water moves from higher water concentration to lower concentration following the osmotic gradient.  The liquid in any animal flesh has more solutes in it than fresh water so flesh tends to absorb water which results in it getting mushy. 

The reason the skin on your fingers crinkle when you have been in the fresh water tub too long is NOT because your fingers are drying out and the skin is getting loose.  It is because your skin is absorbing water, swelling, and the skin must crinkle to accommodate the additional area. 

It is all about osmotic pressure.  The reason fresh water will eventually turn your fish to mush is that fish flesh will absorb fresh water.  Water moves from higher water concentration to lower concentration following the osmotic gradient.  The liquid in any animal flesh has more solutes in it than fresh water so flesh tends to absorb water which results in it getting mushy. 

Yup.  You want to remove moisture from the fishes flesh, not make it absorb more.  Especially when freezing since excess moisture will either swell during freezing causing cell walls to burst, or cause the formation of ice crystals that will cut cell walls.

I once experimented with soaking fish in brine, a lighter brine, not like a smoking brine.  For fish that wasn't handled well initially, a light brine seemed to make it better, firmed up the meat and removed excess fishiness.  It worked ok, but was no substitute for bleeding and chilling immediately after catching.

-Allen

It is all about osmotic pressure.  The reason fresh water will eventually turn your fish to mush is that fish flesh will absorb fresh water.  Water moves from higher water concentration to lower concentration following the osmotic gradient.  The liquid in any animal flesh has more solutes in it than fresh water so flesh tends to absorb water which results in it getting mushy. 

The reason the skin on your fingers crinkle when you have been in the fresh water tub too long is NOT because your fingers are drying out and the skin is getting loose.  It is because your skin is absorbing water, swelling, and the skin must crinkle to accommodate the additional area. 

I was gonna tell them that, but you beat me too it.... 

I love the volume of real world experience and scientific knowledge involved in some of these discussions. Warms the soul of every true fish nerd.
Thanks Guys!

More More More!

Sometimes (ok most times) a lot of these things will be too time consuming or cumbersome to achieve, so what are the most important steps to do?

Right now I:

1.  Immediatly slit the gills, put it on a game clip, and let it bleed
2.  about a minute later, I give it the plastic shampoo treatment or some stainless steel labotomy
3.  leave it in the water if it's 50 degrees or cooler water temp, or throw it in my katchkooler with some ice

I'm thinking about adding a spinal cut between 1 and 2.

Lee, I like what you're thinking.  I figure if I'm gonna kill a fish, it deserves to be treated as well as possible.  Bonking it may not seem to be treating a fish well, but I mean in the kitchen dept. of treating it well.  Reap what you sow.  My theoretical list looks something like this in my head:
1)Shampoo
1a)Measure and Photo for AOTY
2)Shears to the spine at gill plate and at base of tail, or maybe just cut at base to allow more blood loss.
3)Nervous System Noodle
4)Rinse
5)Repeat
That's if the water is 50 or colder.  It'll be interesting to try it out.  I like what I've read and heard about filleting before or after rigor, and avoiding water with your filets.  I've heard that before and have been doing it with great results.

After slitting the gills and/or tail is bonking advisable?  Seems that simply bleeding out would yield a more peaceful death, and we are attempting to avoid stress to the fish.