I have a love-hate relationship with the oily part of fish.  I know fish oil is really good for me & mine, and the red meat next to the skin is the oiliest.  So I tilt the knife down and take as much of the fillet off the skin as possible.  But I know it makes the fillets last for a shorter time.  Betterthanwork had a good solution to this.  He took the fillets off, but left the skin on.  He only skinned the fish just before cooking.  This makes a lot of sense to me.  The skin is a protective organ that will help stop the oil from oxidising.  Take it off, and the oxidation process will increase several times over.  I'm just a little set in my ways and too lazy to wonder outside to the cleaning table when fish is needed for dinner.  As for skin and scales in the kitchen - wouldn't go down well in our house.

Iki if you wish, run your knife around the gills, blood will pour out, then into your slurry etc.

I'm a fussy bugger when preparing any food, fish in particular, so this is my method.

All of the above, gut n gill when back on land, leave head & wings on, into the chiller over nite, at 1* C, I have plenty of room on my fish cleaning setup, 1 white board for filleting, 1 for skining, 1 for trimming and taking the bones out.

Each fish is wiped down with a damp towel, filleted, skined and trimmed, every second or third fish all the white boards are wiped clean, no need to spray water all over everything, when skining with a bit of practise you can leave all the red meat on the skin, loosing only a tiny fraction of your fillet.

Mates I take out tell me I'm far too fussy, I just tell them , you take your share home and deal to them as you see fit, it's not work to me, but a labour of love, and the eating is the proof in the pudding.

 

Cheers

 

These fillets keep for at least five days in the fridge before they develop the slight ammonia smell of old fish, just like you'd buy "fresh" from a fish shop.  We prefer to eat them within 3 days of filleting, because the first off flavour you get is from oxidation of the oil.  This is not a bacterial oxidation, just oxygen reacting with the omega-3 part of fish oil.  I've been an edible oil chemist for over 35 years.  The taste of even slightly oxidised fish oil puts me right off.

 

Some other reasons for rinsing fillets

      - gets rid of blood and other fluids

      - gets rid of scales

      - a final QC check to make sure I've got rid of all the bones.

 

Cheers

Awesome eh!

Much better than the red shed special i used to have

 

Agree with that 100% - best thing I ever did buy - only extra I would add - Never Never wash the fillets in fresh water - try to keep them as they come in in salt water only - the fresh water will set off the bacteria and it will spoil the fish, but if done proper then you have at least 6 months - smoked lasts even longer - I have got 12 months so far and they taste as fresh as what they were when I packed them

Mind you I know of only one packer thats up to the job - and thats the one sold by Bradley!

I refridgerate the fillets over night in a tupperware bread saver, the one with the little tray, this allows that smelly juice to decant, vacuum pack and 6 months later just like fresh.

 

Cheers

 

I learned how to make perfect cous cous in the microwave when I was a student.... you can literally live on that stuff!!

It is a bit hard to get fresh snapper here.

When people give me frozen fish I am not too proud to take it.

However I agree fresh is best. But with a new baby in the house and juggling 3 jobs it can be a bit hard to get out fishing whenever I want a feed.

Glenn

 

Freezing ruins fish.  There are 2 main reasons.  Firstly, when thawing the fish out, at least 5% and often more of the weight is lost when that weepy serum dribbles out.  The loss of that serum is going to leave the fillets a little drier and tougher than if they were fresh.  Secondly, the oil in fish oxidises even in the freezer.  If you want to avoid the stale flavour that most frozen fish has, there are a couple of solutions.  Cut off all the red and brown parts of the fillet, especially the centre line, because these parts are oilier.  Secondly, leave frozen fish in the freezer for a maximum of one month.  Fish oil is so unstable, it oxidises very quickly.

 

I don't mean to criticise your culinary skills.  I thought it might be interesting to other fishoes to know what you're sacrificing when you freeze fish.

 

My policy is to only take what I can eat or give away.  I try to avoid using the freezer.  Yesterday I gave away 2 & brought home 4 snaps.  Son 1 had a couple of fillets last night for dinner.  Today I smoked the biggest one and it will go into some pate (mixed with cream cheese & capers & whizzed up), and the rest will go into the freezer to be made into fish pie.  Even smoked fish will oxidise, so it'll be used within the next 2 weeks.  The rest of the fish went into a green Thai-style fish curry.  We ate most of it tonight, but the leftovers will make a good lunch over the next few days.

 

This "fresh is best" policy provides the perfect excuse for going fishing more often