Caring for the catch
The way you handle fish once they're on your boat can make a huge difference to how it tastes on the dinner tableThe days of table species gasping their last in a fish tub are long gone — or should be. If you plan on eating it, show your catch respect by despatching it quickly and looking after it properly. This entails iki jime, bleeding and icing. The end result is a vastly superior eating fish.
How we treat fish post capture has trickled down from the commercial sector, who have learned it from the always fastidious Japanese.
That’s why two identical tuna, with one handled poorly and the other receiving five-star treatment, either bring good dollars or a freight bill – for more on this, visit tunachampions.com.au for all the good oil on processing tuna for consumption.
Iki jime is a Japanese term, which basically means live killing, where the fish’s brain is destroyed by the application of a sharp steel spike (or a knife if you don’t have the requisite tool).
Depending on the fish, the point of the spike should go into the head diagonally above the eye and down at an angle towards the centre. Done correctly, the fish will flap momentarily, and then lay still.
Slit the fish’s throat and put it into a tub of salt water to bleed out. The water will speed the process. With tuna, a shallow incision where the pectoral fins fold into the body is the sweet spot.
Getting the catch iced down, especially in tropical waters, is essential to preserving the flavour but also preventing the flesh spoiling and potentially causing food poisoning.
Unless there’s no other choice, servo ice is for suckers. It’s also very expensive for what is basically frozen water.
Saltwater ice that you make yourself is a much better option, as not only does it last longer, but if you leave the live bait tank full at the end of the day, it’s free!
Any number of containers can be used to make ice blocks, but the best come from the local ice cream shop. Sidle in there and order a triple choc ripple dipped in Smarties, and while it’s getting built, ask for a couple of containers.
These are single use, so they’re heading for the recycling bin anyway, but they make an excellent block of ice.
Depending on the size of the target species, anything from one to four will keep the catch in tip-top condition, especially if you make up a slurry, which we’ll come to shortly.
The containers also come with a lid, which turns them into a handy terminal tackle storage option. They are the same length as a fish tub is wide, so they stack neatly and are therefore easy to transport.
Break the ice up into chunks (that iki spike is ideal for this), and then add salt water until about a 3:1 ratio is achieved. This is only a rough guide, but don’t make it too cold as you’ll actually freeze the fish before they get to the filleting bench.
A coupe of orange juice containers (once again, filled with frozen salt water) helps pimp the brew.
Don’t wash the fillets under any circumstances, especially with fresh water, as that’s taking the flavour away. If there’s any blood visible, wipe it off with a paper towel.
If space in the fridge permits, a stainless tray with a cake rack sitting in it is a good way of refrigerating fillets, as any excess moisture will drip through.
And finally, if you’ve caught enough to stash some in the freezer, a cryovac machine is a must-have. It extends the shelf life of frozen fish immeasurably without any freezer burn.
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