05-20-2004, 12:08 AM
Bring out best in your catch with proper care
By Scott Haugen
Fishing and Hunting News — May 19, 2004
The quicker you bleed and cool your fish, the better the final product will be.
Mother Nature has again thrown us a curve ball.
Many Western rivers are experiencing low water flows due to an early meltoff of mountain snows and minimal rainfall.
The result is warming water temperatures, something all serious salmon and steelhead anglers need to be aware of, especially if you want to optimize the taste of the fish you intend on cooking.
Every season anglers are seen with their fresh-caught salmon or steelhead left in the water rather than placed in a cooler as soon as possible.
It's even common to see people attempt to keep fish like trout alive by placing them on a stringer or in a pool of water along the river bank.
Salmon and steelhead are not like trout. Keeping these big fish alive on a stringer greatly stresses them.
This heightened level of anxiety causes lactic acid to build up within their muscle tissues, tarnishing the taste.
Additionally, during the coming hot summer months, the top column of river water grows so warm, it often begins cooking the fish, or at least heating it to the point where the meat becomes mushy in texture and dull to the taste.
For these reasons, avoid placing your catch on a stringer and trying to keep it alive.
Bleed and cool
Ensuring you get the best tasting salmon and steelhead meat possible begins the minute your fish is landed.
Once you've taken your photos, bleed the fish and get it in the shade or somewhere cool.
Keeping fish cool ensures the meat will stay firm, which results in a better tasting fish.
Within a minute or two of the catch, bleed your fish by cutting the gills or ringing a cut around the underside of the base of the tail.
Be sure to bleed the fish over water or in the fish box as both methods release a great deal of blood and can be quite messy in a river boat.
It's important to remove blood quickly from a fish to prevent bacteria from invading tissues, which can taint the flavor of the meat.
If working from a boat, fish boxes can serve the purpose of storing the catch.
If it's a fairly cool day, or you're planning on being off the water by midmorning, fish boxes are the way to go.
However, on warm days, put a bag or two of ice in the box, or carry a cooler to store the fish in.
If fishing from the bank, either hang your catch in a shaded tree or keep the fish in a cooler.
Whatever you do, make it a point to get the fish hanging in a cool, heavily shaded place or put in a cooler as soon as possible.
Also make certain that as the sun moves, its rays don't come in direct contact with your fish, as this greatly hinders its overall quality.
Cleaning the catch
Many anglers who catch and eat a large number of salmon and steelhead each season attest to the fact fish taste better when quickly killed, bled, gutted and scaled.
Cleaning a fish as quickly as possible after the catch will enhance overall meat quality.
Note that some rivers and states have regulations forbidding the removal of entrails from fish and discarding them into the river.
If cleaning your fish on such rivers, place the entrails in a garbage bag and discard when you get home, to ensure you're not in violation.
The faster you can clean your catch, the better.
This retards against deteriorating organs, fluids, blood and bacterial invasion which can contaminate the meat and will, no doubt, lead to better tasting, firmer flesh.
It's also a good idea to remove the scales of your fish prior to butchering it.
Scaling can be accomplished with a knife, a strong garden hose or, my favorite way, using six bottle caps nailed to a small piece of 2x4.
Work against the scales, popping them off as you work from tail to head.
This will prevent them from coming in contact with the meat during the butchering stages, thus potentially fouling the taste with fish slime.
Handling fish
Remove lateral bones once the fish has been cooked.
Once a fish has been caught and placed in a dry, cool setting, its body will soon enter a state of rigor.
When rigor has set in, avoid bending and handling a fish in such a way that works against this stiffened stage.
Leave the fish as is, as trying to bend it results in torn muscle tissues that have retracted, ultimately leading to severe meat separation and bruising, both of which greatly hinder meat quality.
At the same time, when handling these big fish, avoid tossing them around or even dropping them onto the ground.
When transferring them from boats, coolers or vehicles, do so carefully, so as not to inflict unnecessary damage.
The flesh of these fish is tender, and bruising and meat separation are the results of mishandling.
Once a fish has been filleted or cut into steaks, don't remove any bones until it has been cooked.
A salmon and steelhead fillet, for example, is not a boneless cut of meat; there are lateral bones running the entire length of the fillet.
Despite some beliefs, these bones cannot be removed with fingers or tweezers from a raw fish, for they are solidly imbedded in the flesh.
They can be removed with pliers, but avoid doing so, as the long bones will shred the meat, leading to sub-par texture upon cooking.
To attain a truly boneless fillet, first cook the fish. The cooking process will release fats and oils, freeing the lateral bones.
These bones can then be easily removed by plucking them from the meat with thumb and forefinger.
By properly bleeding, cooling, cleaning and handling your salmon and steelhead, you'll get a higher quality end product.
Adhering to these steps will dramatically increase the flavor and texture of the fish you eat, and may even please the pallet of non-fish-eaters in the family.
[signature]
By Scott Haugen
Fishing and Hunting News — May 19, 2004
The quicker you bleed and cool your fish, the better the final product will be.
Mother Nature has again thrown us a curve ball.
Many Western rivers are experiencing low water flows due to an early meltoff of mountain snows and minimal rainfall.
The result is warming water temperatures, something all serious salmon and steelhead anglers need to be aware of, especially if you want to optimize the taste of the fish you intend on cooking.
Every season anglers are seen with their fresh-caught salmon or steelhead left in the water rather than placed in a cooler as soon as possible.
It's even common to see people attempt to keep fish like trout alive by placing them on a stringer or in a pool of water along the river bank.
Salmon and steelhead are not like trout. Keeping these big fish alive on a stringer greatly stresses them.
This heightened level of anxiety causes lactic acid to build up within their muscle tissues, tarnishing the taste.
Additionally, during the coming hot summer months, the top column of river water grows so warm, it often begins cooking the fish, or at least heating it to the point where the meat becomes mushy in texture and dull to the taste.
For these reasons, avoid placing your catch on a stringer and trying to keep it alive.
Bleed and cool
Ensuring you get the best tasting salmon and steelhead meat possible begins the minute your fish is landed.
Once you've taken your photos, bleed the fish and get it in the shade or somewhere cool.
Keeping fish cool ensures the meat will stay firm, which results in a better tasting fish.
Within a minute or two of the catch, bleed your fish by cutting the gills or ringing a cut around the underside of the base of the tail.
Be sure to bleed the fish over water or in the fish box as both methods release a great deal of blood and can be quite messy in a river boat.
It's important to remove blood quickly from a fish to prevent bacteria from invading tissues, which can taint the flavor of the meat.
If working from a boat, fish boxes can serve the purpose of storing the catch.
If it's a fairly cool day, or you're planning on being off the water by midmorning, fish boxes are the way to go.
However, on warm days, put a bag or two of ice in the box, or carry a cooler to store the fish in.
If fishing from the bank, either hang your catch in a shaded tree or keep the fish in a cooler.
Whatever you do, make it a point to get the fish hanging in a cool, heavily shaded place or put in a cooler as soon as possible.
Also make certain that as the sun moves, its rays don't come in direct contact with your fish, as this greatly hinders its overall quality.
Cleaning the catch
Many anglers who catch and eat a large number of salmon and steelhead each season attest to the fact fish taste better when quickly killed, bled, gutted and scaled.
Cleaning a fish as quickly as possible after the catch will enhance overall meat quality.
Note that some rivers and states have regulations forbidding the removal of entrails from fish and discarding them into the river.
If cleaning your fish on such rivers, place the entrails in a garbage bag and discard when you get home, to ensure you're not in violation.
The faster you can clean your catch, the better.
This retards against deteriorating organs, fluids, blood and bacterial invasion which can contaminate the meat and will, no doubt, lead to better tasting, firmer flesh.
It's also a good idea to remove the scales of your fish prior to butchering it.
Scaling can be accomplished with a knife, a strong garden hose or, my favorite way, using six bottle caps nailed to a small piece of 2x4.
Work against the scales, popping them off as you work from tail to head.
This will prevent them from coming in contact with the meat during the butchering stages, thus potentially fouling the taste with fish slime.
Handling fish
Remove lateral bones once the fish has been cooked.
Once a fish has been caught and placed in a dry, cool setting, its body will soon enter a state of rigor.
When rigor has set in, avoid bending and handling a fish in such a way that works against this stiffened stage.
Leave the fish as is, as trying to bend it results in torn muscle tissues that have retracted, ultimately leading to severe meat separation and bruising, both of which greatly hinder meat quality.
At the same time, when handling these big fish, avoid tossing them around or even dropping them onto the ground.
When transferring them from boats, coolers or vehicles, do so carefully, so as not to inflict unnecessary damage.
The flesh of these fish is tender, and bruising and meat separation are the results of mishandling.
Once a fish has been filleted or cut into steaks, don't remove any bones until it has been cooked.
A salmon and steelhead fillet, for example, is not a boneless cut of meat; there are lateral bones running the entire length of the fillet.
Despite some beliefs, these bones cannot be removed with fingers or tweezers from a raw fish, for they are solidly imbedded in the flesh.
They can be removed with pliers, but avoid doing so, as the long bones will shred the meat, leading to sub-par texture upon cooking.
To attain a truly boneless fillet, first cook the fish. The cooking process will release fats and oils, freeing the lateral bones.
These bones can then be easily removed by plucking them from the meat with thumb and forefinger.
By properly bleeding, cooling, cleaning and handling your salmon and steelhead, you'll get a higher quality end product.
Adhering to these steps will dramatically increase the flavor and texture of the fish you eat, and may even please the pallet of non-fish-eaters in the family.
[signature]