FRESH FISH FOR DINNER: HOW TO BE SURE IT TASTES GREAT

Have you ever eaten fish that tasted … off? There can be many reasons for this, but the most common one is poor handling procedures. And the most common factor is temperature. To stay good, fish needs to stay cold. Many local fishermen began their angling careers up north, where it’s common practice to keep fish on stringers, in empty buckets or simply tossed on the deck. That’s not a problem when the water and air temperatures are cool. But check the thermometer — we’re not in Michigan anymore. With our heat, even on many winter days, a fish starts decomposing as soon as it dies. Rotting fish, in case you didn’t know, never tastes good. The solution is ice, and plenty of it. As soon as you catch the fish, put in a cooler full of slush (ice plus salt water). When you’re done for the day, don’t dump the cooler. Take the fish out one a time and clean them. After you clean each fish, get it back on ice (fresh ice, not the ice full of fish slime). Keep them cold until you cook them. You’ll be amazed how much easier it will be to clean well-firmed fish, and how much better your fish will taste.

 

Although catch and release has become common practice, most anglers like a to keep a fish for the table at least once in a while. There’s not much better than fresh-caught fish, but poor handling practices can ruin the dining experience. When you fillet, take your time and get as much meat off the fish as possible. Some species are easy to fillet — trout, Spanish mackerel and mahi, for example. Others, such as pompano, tripletail and cobia, are trickier. But every ounce is precious, so be patient and let your knife guide you. Don’t overlook the tender pieces above the skull and on the cheeks. With smaller fish, such as mangrove or lane snapper and grunts, filleting will waste a huge amount of meat. Whole preparation may be better in these cases. Fish is best fresh, so keep it in the fridge and eat it within a day or two. If you must freeze fish, vacuum seal it or freeze the fillets in lightly salted water, then use them within two months.

 

Grouper and snook are top choices for table fish, and when they're not open to harvest there's much grumbling. Well, quit your bellyaching, because there are plenty of fish in the sea. Inshore anglers looking for dinner can switch to sheepshead, which are just as good as snook. Offshore, cooler water temperatures bring many reef species closer to shore. Even though the gags have to go back (and in federal waters, so do the red grouper), there are huge numbers of snapper, grunts and porgies out there. Generally speaking, these fish are not only easier to catch but also milder-tasting than grouper. Yes, you’ll have to fillet a few more to get the same amount of meat, but the bag limits are far more liberal. When grouper season is closed, there are a lot fewer fishermen willing to spend the gas money to get out to the reefs. That’s a mystery — why will people drop $300 on fuel to get 10 pounds of grouper but not to load up 50 pounds of porgy and grunt fillets? Maybe it’s part of the grouper marketing strategy, but why are you letting someone else tell you what fish is more desirable? Try it for yourself.

Still have questions? This site is a work in progress and more information will be added over time. Meanwhile, email me and let's see if we can get you some answers.

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