Brining mullet question?

[rarhomes]

Got about 60 silvers yesterday. They were just iced down for about 3 hour and in perfect condition. Then when I got home I brined them with 1/2 box of kosher salt, 1/2 box of baking soda, 3 gals sea water and topped of with ice for about 4 hours.

Now here is the problem. When cleaning the mullet I noticed about 50% of their eyes had gotten cloudy and some red spots on their faces had appeared.

Any suggestion why this happened ? and how can it be prevented ?

Thanks in advance.

[gottaflylee]

I feel that when ever you put them/ soak in water, you will find the eyes will go cloudy. I think you are better off, iceing them down, spliting ( I asume that is what you are doing with them) and salting, reiceing and then vec.bagging and freezing...

[floridadeckie]

I would skip the initial ice bath and put them straight into the kosher salt/baking soda/sea water slurry. make sure that it is SUPER cold and that will help to shock the life out of them and also help them to retain all their natural color. their eyes will still cloud up a bit, but thats ok.

[rarhomes]

Lee that would make sense. Because I put the mullet in the cooler, added the water, salt and baking soda then topped off with ice. This was prior to cleaning. So all the mullet where under water in brine for maybe 4 hours. Do you think this is what clouded the eyes ?

Next question. After I gut and split tail them, I start from the tail and debone them (finishing at the head), do you think its possible that could make the red spots on the faces/noses ? maybe busting some blood vessels or something.

[Tenacious]

Rick,
Do all the mullet have red spots or just a few?

[rarhomes]

Rick,
Do all the mullet have red spots or just a few?

Maybe half, and some just on one side.

[Tenacious]

I was thinking it could be from direct contact with the ice breaking the blood vessels. The cloudy eyes usually happens when the PH level is too low meaning more salt is needed.

[gottaflylee]

Rick, couple of things, first I think 4 hours in water is way to long more like 15 mins. When I commer. fished, we sold to a Japn. fish house in Morehead called Luckys. All the fish that were caught in the last 3 hours of the day, we did not have to gut as they would brine them and ship to Japan. Always amased me hgow short of time they would run them through the brine, 15 mins. on the outside was it...
Now for your red spots, were thease cast net caught, if so most likely it is from the lead hitting the fish as the net sinks and they panic and run into it...

[ReelSmith]

I think the red spots come from direct contact wit the ice...Lee also raises a good question about bruising from a net.

[WAHOONBOX]

GREAT THREAD HERE....I AM IMPRESSED WIT THE RESPONSE!

CLOUDY EYES IS NORMAL ON SOME....I SAY IT'S THE EXTRA SALT AND SODA THAT CAUSES THIS...BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN....


THEY SHOULD BE SPLIT TAILED AND DEBONED FIRST....

AND TO ME....BRINING REALLY ISN'T THAT BIG OF A DEAL WITH A MULLET.....HE WILL NEVER FREEZE SOLID ANYWAY

I FINISH OUT THE SPLIT-TAIL PART BY ENDING THE ENDING WITH THE TAIL ITSELF