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Random Quote: King Mackerel fishing is like a ride at Disney World, but a whole lot more expensive
Our procedure for cleaning is a little different - immediately after catching them, they go into the fish box, which had a mix of seawater, lots of cubed ice and Kosher salt (brine) that is about 35-40 degrees, and leave them there to die, which both cools them and preserves the taste (as an aside, this is how we care for most of our smaller fish (Blues, Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Flounder). Once cool and dead they are filleted (make sure the entire blood line is removed), rinsed with seawater, put in ziplock bags and into the boat's fridge. Once home they go inot the home fridge.
As others have said, they don't freeze well at all. We only keep what we will cook in the next 2 days. Using this method, they are not oily or fishy at all.
gut them immediately, slide in a bag of ice (hockey rink ice works great) put the whole fish in another bag throw that on ice/ water mixture. Get home, filet, mix butter, mayo and your favorite mustard, a little lemon and baste as it cooks.
Ice is a premium on Cape Cod during the summer, so I go to the local hockey rink, drive around back to where the Zamboni dumps his ice, fill up a couple big trash barrels with ice in heavy duty contractor bags and bring down to the boat. Its like a homemade refrigerator in your cooler and it lasts a LONG time. I throw the fish on top and bring zip lock bags to fill with the ice (that is finely shaven) put in the guts of the clean bluefish.
Ice is a premium on Cape Cod during the summer, so I go to the local hockey rink, drive around back to where the Zamboni dumps his ice, fill up a couple big trash barrels with ice in heavy duty contractor bags and bring down to the boat. Its like a homemade refrigerator in your cooler and it lasts a LONG time. I throw the fish on top and bring zip lock bags to fill with the ice (that is finely shaven) put in the guts of the clean bluefish.
If that hockey rink is in Falmouth, I know it well. Having played a bunch of hockey in my life, I would not put that ice anywhere near something I intended to eat. Spit, snot, sweat, blood covered ice isn't going near my food.
If you keep it in zip lock bags or something like that, then it is fine. I have used it to keep buckets of chum cold. But it isn't touching any part of anything I may eat.
I suppose you cook off any really nasty stuff. It just makes me a little groused out.
BTW, if you are in Falmouth, PM for a really great source for ice..
if that hockey rink is in falmouth, i know it well. Having played a bunch of hockey in my life, i would not put that ice anywhere near something i intended to eat. Spit, snot, sweat, blood covered ice isn't going near my food.
If you keep it in zip lock bags or something like that, then it is fine. I have used it to keep buckets of chum cold. But it isn't touching any part of anything i may eat.
I suppose you cook off any really nasty stuff. It just makes me a little groused out.
I agree as well with the dirty ice- but what type of people who fish gave me the heads up on this- and I know they don't use bags....
The reason I use this is so I can line the bottom of the cooler and pack it down. The contractor bag works as the buffer. I don't like soggy fillets, esp with bluefish.
pound-for-pound, they don't top an albie or bonita, but they are a lot easier to catch. I once sat on top of a huge school, nothing I tried worked. Finally I caught one, more by accident than anything else. when he came up, he spit out what they had been targeting: tiny, and i mean tiny, almost translucent fish with black eyes and slightly silver sides - maybe an eighth of an inch long. Nothing I had could replicate that. If you are so inclined, you should try a dry fly or a small sinking fly when nothing else works.
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I'm not one for eating bluefish...had a bad experience with them back in the early 80's...I guess I'm starting to get old. It's always nice to have to have as many tricks in your bag as possible. I was on a school of something last year that was so active, when the baitfish came to the surface, it sounded like pouring rain! No matter what I tried, nothing seemed to work.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll be able to take the kids out one day this weekend before I put the boat to bed for the winter.
Thanks for all the great advice...
DaveS
__________________ If you think education is expensive, try ignorance
..."Vegetarian - old Indian word for bad fisherman."
Ice is a premium on Cape Cod during the summer, so I go to the local hockey rink, drive around back to where the Zamboni dumps his ice, fill up a couple big trash barrels with ice in heavy duty contractor bags and bring down to the boat. Its like a homemade refrigerator in your cooler and it lasts a LONG time. I throw the fish on top and bring zip lock bags to fill with the ice (that is finely shaven) put in the guts of the clean bluefish.
LOL!! Ok, gotcha. I was thinking it was a special shape of ice or something, like oval.
