Breakin"even
Crew Member
Should I bleed a Ling before filleting, I noticed the first fillet bled, tainting the fillet.
The second one did not and looked alot better.
The second one did not and looked alot better.
To Bleed or Not to Bleed
- Thread starter Breakin"even
- Start date
Purplemonkeydishwasher
Member
I find that even if bleeding does not improve or change taste, it does make filetting alot easier and cleaner. Just a good practise all arouns
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
100% yes, bleed all your fish asap
adanac
Well-Known Member
makes me shudder when i see someone pull out a tote of non bled/iced fish . my fish get bled and drained in the livewell or over the side right away, then gutted and gilled and put on ice right away. other tips are to wipe down all excess slime before cutting fish, and never EVER let fresh water touch the flesh , i try and not even hose them with salt water , wrap in paper towel and keep cool till vacpack. the paper towel leaches out any excess water/slime/blood, makes for a great product .
Whole in the Water
Well-Known Member
Always bleed your fish whenever possible.
When we moved to Vancovuer in 1983 my first (and late) wife and I went to the Diawa fishing school. The classes were held out in Burnaby at the Diawa Offices. It wasa great course and as students we got to buy Diawa Gear at an amazing discount . I think we went for 6 weeks
The one thing I still remember from that class was that every instructor told us to bleed our fish as soon as we caught them. I still do that to this day.
The one thing I still remember from that class was that every instructor told us to bleed our fish as soon as we caught them. I still do that to this day.
jayinsurrey
New Member
Wow great information! I'm a noob and have been rinsing my fillets with fresh water after filleting. I then pat them dry with paper towel and vac seal. So I should stop rinsing?? Thanks again
seascene
Crew Member
Wow... After 60 years hunting and fishing, I have never heard of bleeding a fish but have heard of bleeding game. I do neither. Thousands of game/fish meals I am guessing obviously, tastefully always came back for more. I will give this a try though no harm in improving taste if that was this does. Do you cut just around the gills?
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
I have been fishing for 60 years and I agree with most of what has been said here. For top quality, a few things are essential: Definitely bleed fish as soon as caught (cut the gills) and gut them as soon as you can. Then keep them cool, on ice. The best results are with vacuum packing, no doubt. Great invention! For a couple of days, ice is fine. Otherwise freeze them. As for rinsing, I think it's necessary and also that fresh water is fine. Then pat dry, as you do.
adanac
Well-Known Member
everyone does things a bit different , but i promise you if you put a vac sealed rinsed , vs not rinsed fillet side by side after being frozen , then difference is 100 percent noticeable , texture
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
blood is the first thing that goes bad, best to get it out. I started doing it a few years ago after reading these forums and it makes a big difference.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
BLEEEED
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trophywife
Crew Member
if my hali fillets or ling/cod have blood on them after filleting i put them in a bucket of salt water for a few minutes, gently rub the blood off and let air dry or pat down with a towel. place on a tray and get them firmed up a bit before vac packing.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
Blood and gills are the first things to rot. gills are full of bacteria so get rid of them. they make great hali bait btw.
on the rinsing thing; i’m also leery of salt water rinsing fillets. ever smell your prawn ropes after being in the chuck? how about the water in your raw water wash down lines? smells like death to me. i don’t rinse my fillets at all; take the dull side of your knife and scrape all the slime off the fish before filleting; then pat them dry. any blood present gets gently washed off.
on the rinsing thing; i’m also leery of salt water rinsing fillets. ever smell your prawn ropes after being in the chuck? how about the water in your raw water wash down lines? smells like death to me. i don’t rinse my fillets at all; take the dull side of your knife and scrape all the slime off the fish before filleting; then pat them dry. any blood present gets gently washed off.
wolf
Well-Known Member
Ive done both and ill quickly rinse but them, I have special trays that any excess water drips on too, im sorry but ill wash all my meat, game especially. as for fish yes ever see that slime on halibut it stinks and is gross same with sockeye slime all that slime is full of bacteria's,,, hence why people get infections from cleaning fish...(coho burn/itch)
Salmon Seeker
Crew Member
IMO if you want to go with the no-rinse method, which I do btw, you need to be extra careful when filleting to keep your knife clean and slime off the meat. I do a thorough de-slime and dry prior to filleting. wipe the knife anytime it comes in contact with skin, scales, or blood. use paper towel to blot any blood on the meat. careful not to let the fillet flip over meat side down onto the cutting surface or touch any skin. if the meat is cut from the bones with a clean knife and never touches anything, there's no reason you should need to wash it.
