+1 Look at the difference from the two wipers, one bleed, one not. WOW!!!
When I was young, I use to work the fish docks at Bodega Bay in Calif. We sold all the Commercial caught King Salmon to the Japanesse. If a fisherman left the guts in the fish to long, it got a condition called belly burn. If you rolled back the belly flap and the flesh cracked, we didn’t buy the fish, it really upset some of the fisherman, but that’s what we had to do, I think all the King Salmon go to Japan now. Just my thought but I think the Salmon hatchery’s on the west coast are being operated for the Japanesse.Just my 2c.[:/]
Too much work. If too fishy I just add more wasabi, eel sauce, or Sriracha mayo.
I have recently discovered that if I baste them as they are smoking with a slurry of lemon concentrate, brown sugar, and some fish spice that I got from Costco in one of those giant containers, (Rosemarry, Thyme etc, etc.) that they turn out pretty good.
I’m not sure if basting, while smoking, is according to Hoyle, when it comes to smoking purists, or if they last as long, but it works for me. /
In smoking circles we call it “MOPPING”. Basting is for Julia with the Turkey in the kitchen while wearing an apron. [:p]
Talk to the Brisquit Bunch, or the Rib Masters, and you’ll hear what I mean. I actually have a mini-mop just for the job.
But I’d agree with TD - I don’t tend to Mop my fish. But depends on your end product. If you’re smoking to dry it - almost jerkey like - they yeah, no extra liquid I’d think. My smoked salmon slabs don’t go as “dry” as I might do for say - catfish. But it’s such an oily fish - I never have need of extra moisture.
I have recently experimented with comparing a brine-soak, vs more of a rub approach. And it does change the result. With the rub you get more of a ‘candy coating’ effect. In some ways makes the spice flavors dance on your tongue a bit more.
If I’m going to eat smoked fish fresh and hot - moist is fine, if I’m fridgerating, or vacuum packing - then drier is nicer. But that’s just me . .
As for fish flavors - some fish have very distinctive innate flavor. Some have very little or delicate flavor. In either case, it can depend on what flavors are added. But you have to accept or enjoy some level of “fish flavor”. But I think anyone that flat out says the “don’t like fish” means they haven’t had the right fish prepared the right way for their taste.
Storage - I use a stringer sometimes, don’t have a wire basket. But I usually have a cooler of ice ready. I pack the fish on ice, so there’s ice between the fish. Don’t tend to bleed fish (wouldn’t bother with panfish) - try to keep them alive, then on ice, then straight fillet, no guts, plenty of glory. depending on type - a milk soak can always be a good precedent to any next stage of flavoring.
I’ll filet, dab with paper towels, then ice-water-rinse to get any remaining blood off filets. Most places I go don’t tend to have cleaning stations, so the ones I do visit, I’m in the routine of using them after loading out.
Whatever works for ya, and gives you the results you enjoy.
The only thing I think you missed is that they must be brook trout from a scud-filled alpine lake to be the absolute tastiest.
i have a thought that i have used before. I usually dont bring a cooler; just dry foods. tie your stringer to you ankor and drop it down back into the cooler water. of corse after you bleed it out. for all you trollers i cant help but for the jigging type and still fishing type this if for you. o and btw thanks for all the advise. long time looker; first time poster. i am not a good speller i know.
have a good one
Peace
I can relate to mopping … I used to watch the big boys down in Memphis mop that sauce on those pigs turning on those gargantuous spits.
Makes me hungry thinking about it.
Bleeding the fish is key, so I too rip the gill rakers immediately on all fish I keep. I only fish from a boat now, so can ice them in a cooler. As soon as they are bled, I gut them. Doing so not only prevents belly burn, but allows for faster cooling. Not important on trout, but it is for larger fish.
The timing of filleting fish isn’t critical, so long as they’re iced well after gutting them. In fact, filleting them exposes the flesh to water, which is not good. If they’re just iced whole after gutting, the skin protects them outside, and the peritoneum protects the inside. I gut the fish, then grip them firmly and rinse them off in the water. This keeps the ice nice and clean:
Icing most fish is best done with flake ice, as it’s easier to get the gut cavity filled with ice. There are exceptions, however. Tuna are warm blooded, and can be 25F warmer than the water temp. For them, we use a flake ice/salt water slurry. If you just pack them in ice, they melt the ice surrounding them, making a kind of igloo. The slurry prevents this, and cools them much faster. This is what it looks like, but the fish is usually submerged completely:
I’m thinking a nice brookie from a Uinta lake, a hidden lake of sorts with nice brooks.