Fish Prep (when to cut and eat)

[Parapapam]

Guys,

I have always had a long debate with my wife regarding when it is best to eat our fish. She loves for me to come home from a long offshore trip and cook the fish that night.

I prefer to wait until the next night mostly because long offshore trips for me are all nights or 2 am departures... so by dinner time I usually can't even stand without the room rocking back and forth. Throw a beer or two on top of that and I am lucky to stay awake long enough to enjoy the meal.

Watching a recent episode of Offshore Adventures, Capt Brett said he prefers to leave the meat on the bone (after bleeding and gutting) for a day or two in a very cold fridge before fileting. He feels this is the best way to get the most out of the meat.

As things usually go, my wife will win this argument since if she loses then I don't get to go chase the fish in the first place. But I was wondering what you guys thought about when the fish is best to filet and eat.

Mike

P.S. My predominate fish are tuna (BFT, YFT and LFT) and stripers if that matter for the discussion...

[seavee capt]

My preference has always been to bleed, gut and slush anything that I'm going to eat. Fish sitting in a very cold saltwater slush will harden up and be easier for you to handle when filleting...

[Fish Biz]

Fish as with most meats and game benefit greatly from aging or resting. Fluids and acids especially with fish which build during the fight should be allowed to drained and core temp needs to be brought down as quickly as possible. bleeding and slush brining is one of the most effective ways to bring the temp down. With inshore species like stripers, weakfish, and red drum (i bleed all fish) packing them in ice belly up not touching each other with the cooler drain open extends the shelf life and firms up the flesh (its actually easier to fillet a day or two later as seavee pointed out). Proper care from the gaff or net will go a long way to increase shelf life and ensure quality on the table. Thanks Tim

[Parapapam]

Thanks guys!

Mike

[Robja]

Very seldom to we clean the fish the day we catch them unless we are fishing the next day. We usually fish on Saturday and when we clean the boat on Sunday one of us cleans the fish we left on ice.