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+--- Thread: Bleeding out your fish?? (/showthread.php?tid=354987)
Bleeding out your fish?? - Old_Coot - 08-06-2007
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]A few weeks ago, when I was filleting some wipers at the cleaning station at Willard, there was a guy there talking about "bleeding out" his wipers shortly after he caught them so that they would taste better. I got the impression that he had cut them somewhere much like you would a big game shortly after the kill.
Have any of you heard of doing that with fish? Do any of you do that on a regular basis on fish you keep? It seems to me to be a lot to do about nothing. I would think that removing the blood line while filleting would be the best thing to do to improve the fishes taste.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - mactuna - 08-06-2007
Have done it with ocean fish never Wipers or any other freshwater fish. Wonder if it does anything for the taste, it helps on ocean fish.
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - wiperhunter2 - 08-06-2007
I have heard that you cut them at the base of the gills but I don't know if it improves the taste. The only problem I can see with doing that is the fish will die quicker and require that you put them on ice so them won't go bad, of course that might not be a bad thing[
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - d-mack - 08-06-2007
I've done that for years!
I find that my fillets are lighter in color and have a milder flavor when I bleed the fish right as soon as I put them in the basket. I don't cut them open, I just reach in and "pop" a couple of the gills out. The fish expire in about 30 seconds and aren't nearly as bloody/messy when I fillet them out later.
Give it a try!
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - PACKFAN - 08-06-2007
Been doing it for years on all my fish, the fillets are nice and white and doesn't leave a bloody mess when filleting your fish. If the fish are already dead it won't make much difference. I do it on any fish that are still alive in my livewell before heading in. The big fish I cut in side the gill plate, on smaller fish you can rip the throat out. As far as tasting better I'm not sure, I've been doing it for so long this way that I really don't remember how they taste the other way. [cool]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - 2fishon - 08-06-2007
I soak the fillets in warm water with a little salt for a while before they go in the freezer. This seems to remove the blood and make the fillets whiter.
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - BearLakeFishGuy - 08-06-2007
Coot,
I was over in Finland a few years ago and stayed with a friend who took me around with him to several major whitefish processing plants where commercial fishermen brought their catch. All fishermen over there (100%) cut the fish at the base of the gill immediately after being lifted from the water. The fish's heart is pumping the blood right out of them and it does make a difference in what whitefish meat looks like when its time to clean them. In fact some of the commercial outfits prided theirselves on the bleeding method. I tried it when I got back and I was impressed to say the least. The fillets are definitely cleaner (i.e. without blood). Whitefish are a fish with flesh that bruises (bleeds internally) easily and when you put them in a cooler without cutting them, they flop around and beat the snot out of each other which causes blood spots in the meat, not to mention lactic acid build up in the muscle which also causes an off-flavor. The blood does give off a very fishy taste. The only negative thing is your cooler/ice gets full of blood, but that can be rinsed out when you get back to the dock. Not sure how the bleeding-out thing works with other fish who are not as prone to bleeding as whitefish. If you keep them in a fish basket like Tubedude and others, then you probably do not want to bleed them. Better to have them alive instead of "one-eye-to-the-sky" dragging around in 70+ degree water. They then kill the fish right at the cleaning station when they clean so its about the same thing as bleeding them. I don't care for fish baskets though due to the lactic acid build up theory. I like to ice my fish immediately after I catch them. So I guess it all depends on what you do with your fish that you want to keep. Try bleeding them while just prior to putting them in your cooler and I bet you'll be surprised at how well it works.
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - TubeDude - 08-06-2007
[cool][#0000ff]You are going to get a lot of personal opinions...just like if you asked for recommendations on the best reels, lines, hooks, lures, etc. And, it is all a matter of opinion. My opinion is that the "average" angler cannot tell the difference between bled and non-bled fish. There are far more factors which can affect the texture and taste of fish after they are caught.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In my salt water fishing days, I learned to bleed out the oily fleshed and bloody fishes...like members of the tuna family. They have flesh that loses its prime qualities quickly after the fish is taken from the water. Most of the "white fleshed" fishes do not seem to suffer as much degradation if they are not bled out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The argument was made against the buildup of lactic acid in fish that are kept alive in live wells or baskets. Maybe. But, I defy any angler I know to sample a line of cooked fillets and tell me which fish were bled or not bled...and which ones have lactic acid in the flesh. No way.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The flip side is that fish killed early in the day, even if kept on ice, may suffer degradation of quality through the process of "autolysis". That is "self digestion". In other words, once the fish dies, it begins to digest itself with its own digestive enzymes. But, again, under normal conditions, there is not enough of this to be detectable by human senses.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Unless you eat all of your fish raw, without any seasonings or sauces, there is not much probability that you will notice any difference between bled or non-bled fish. Most of what we think we notice is purely subjective...all in the mind. We want it to make a difference so we imagine that it does. And, when we marinate the fish and cover it with a heavy batter, and then grill or fry the %#$* out of it...until it is overdone and dry...there is no way that a bit of blood left in the fillet is going to make a whit of difference.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Back to the original question. I do not believe that bleeding out a wiper will make a great deal of difference in the quality of what you put on the table. However, if you are fishing from a boat, you would do well to whack them on the head to kill them quickly and then put them in a well iced chest. And, you are correct in assuming that the filleting process, and removing excess red sensory tissue from the sides, will result in a milder flavor. Not many wipers have thick enough red tissue to make a lot of difference but on larger fish it might help. I don't even bother and I have never met a wiper I did not like...on the table.[/#0000ff]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - Old_Coot - 08-06-2007
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]A bunch of good info there guys. Thanks for your replies.
Sounds to me like the biggest benefit to bleeding out one's fish would just simply be to make the filleting process a little less messy. That alone sounds worth it.
I plan to give it a try on my next batch of home bound fish. I'll probably bleed half of them and not the other half just to see the difference.
Now, having said that, I'm still not quite sure where or what to cut to best accomplish the bleeding. Advice welcome.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - smalls - 08-07-2007
In Alaska at DOC Warners this last year they told us to cut the gills to bleed the fish out for a better taste. I asked, Does this work on trout and other fish. My answer was yes. I have been doing it ever since on fish that i'll be putting on the grill. I highly recommend doing this if you don't already. Works great
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - bassrods - 08-07-2007
You have the gills and the under part of the fish where both sides of the gills is cut it there like you are going to cut its throat.....
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - ateve1 - 08-07-2007
Very nice question. I have heard nothing bad about bleeding fish. for some reason i do it to all my salmon and steelhead but no other fishies, hmm its got me thinking???
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - tubeN2 - 08-07-2007
I have heard by several people that if you cut the ends off of a cucumber, rub them back on the ends of the same cucumber, it takes away the bitterness. That is a wivestale.
Bleeding a non oily fish, fall around the same category. I bleed Tuna and Barracuda. They still tast the same. I bleed my Yellowtail once in awhile. They still taste like Yellowtail.
If I didn't agree to the taste of fish, I probably would have looked for a different sport.
There is one tried and proven method of reducing the fishy taste and this one is not a wivestale nor heresay.
Soak your fillets in cold "Milk" for a few hours before preparing your meal. I didn't see this recommendation come up yet so I decided to offer it for the rest to benefit from.
As many of you probably know, I am no stranger to freshwater fish nor the fish of UT waters. The only fish that would need help with the flavor at times would probably be the Cats out of the Jordan River. They were a little more fishy tasting at times but then again, I was "Fishing" for dinner and took them at face value.
The fishy or gamey taste that most people refer to is the actual oils that are left on the fish. The blood of a fish stores no oils. The oils and fat on the fish are stored in the skin, the head and in the fins.
Ever notice how we bake Salmon with the skin on?? Then we put lemon and herbs on it to give it a nicer flavor. Try this one day.
Remove the skin from the Salmon fillets before cooking. Wash the fillets with a little lemon before cooking. Bake the Salmon and add a sprig of Tarragon during the last 5 minutes of Baking.
You will notice a big difference in the taste even if you forgot to put the Tarragon. The actual fish oils were neutralized before the fish even went into the oven.
Try it, you'll like it.[cool]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - Saberfish - 08-07-2007
[black][size 3]There are many who believe that "if you eat it, bleed it". This applies to everything, fish, fowl, beef, pork, etc.[/size][/black]
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[size 3]This is a common practice that goes back centuries.[/size]
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[size 3]But there are other specific things to do to improve the taste of "meat". One that I learned during a trip to Lake Powell. We were cleaning some stripers, and the fellow I was with, told me to remove the dark flesh between the skin and the fillet. I was somewhat skeptical, so I tried the fillets both ways, and found that that little trick did improve the flavor.[/size]
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[size 3]Why would you remove the blood only from "oily" ocean fish. It's a blood drain, not a oil change.[/size]
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Re: [TubeDude] Bleeding out your fish?? - smittyts - 08-07-2007
I couldn't agree more TD. Well said.
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - PACKFAN - 08-07-2007
Once again, for you people that have never tried bleeding a fish just try it, you will find that this deffinately helps prevent a bloody fish cleaning area, as the fillets are nice and clean and void of blood. I do it with all my fish including cats. [cool]
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - fishfinder462 - 08-07-2007
Next fish I keep I will have to try this...[cool]
FF462
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Re: [Old_Coot] Bleeding out your fish?? - RipNLips - 08-07-2007
People have different abilities as far as taste and people also have different tastes. I for one am interested in trying to bleed fish to improve the taste. Why? Well personally I remove every bit of red/dark meat from a Wiper be it large or small because if I get any of it in my mouth it's like getting slapped in the face with a fish and I about gag on it. Too fishy for me, yet the white meat is absolutely delicious. Now if TD can enjoy a wiper fillet with or without the red/dark meat removed, either his ability to taste isn't as good as mine or what tastes good to him is completely different then what tastes good to me, or both. To each his own I say. We all have different tastes and abilities to taste.
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Re: [RipNLips] Bleeding out your fish?? - tubeN2 - 08-08-2007
You hit the nail on the head with that one.[
]"Different Strokes for Different Folks".
Saberfish was also correct on the dark strip between the meat and the skin. That is the blood line. That adds it's own unique flavor to each species that have them. By removing it, the flavor is therefore altered.
It is not only the Tuna and oily fish but also the Catfish, Striped Bass and hybrids.[cool]
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