After The Catch
Once you’ve mastered the waters and collected your loot, the fun (and delicious) part begins! It’s time to prepare your hard-earned fish for a feast.
Handling Your Fish Safely from Storage to Stove
When it comes to handling your catch, take proper precautions to keep your fish fresh and safe for eating.
It’s fine to keep your fish live on stringers or in live wells, so long as they have enough water and their mobility isn’t too restricted.
When fileting your fish, you’ll want to do so out of the way of direct sunlight, cleaning your knife frequently between cuts to prevent tracing bacteria from the skin. After your processing is complete, wash your utensils and cutting board with warm, soapy water, and keep any raw fish in separate sealable plastic bags to prevent cross-contamination.
How to Fillet The Fish
When it’s time to fillet your fish, first rinse it under cold, clean water to remove any bacteria, blood, or other enzymes. Use a clean fileting knife on a clean cutting board, cut the fish’s throat and remove gills and entrails. Remove skin and any fatty deposits as pesticides and other undesirable substances can gather in fatty areas of the fish. You can remove scales by scraping the dull edge of a knife from tail to head. Then, remove the head by slicing just above the collar bone (you can break the backbone over a cutting board or clean table).
Take out the fins by slicing the flesh along each side and pulling slightly (don’t simply trim the fins, as this will leave bones in the base of the fin).
Wipe your fish clean with cloth or paper towels without wiping it completely dry (it should be moist, but not wet). Then, wrap the fish in a plastic storage bag (ideally a sealable ones) and keep on ice (snow also works fine!). To prevent bacteria growth (the ideal temperature is between 1.5 – 4.5 Celsius).
Cooking, Fish Fry
The Friday night fish fry is a beloved tradition for many coastal communities, and for good reason. It’s simple to execute and delicious to eat; the perfect ritual to bring family and friends together after a successful day out on the water.
The fresher the fish the better; if it sits for too long, you’ll get soggy results. Make your sides ahead of time so you can focus on the frying. Throw some hot oil in a pan and coat your fish filets in a mixture of flour, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch, placing them into the sizzling oil. Once the filets are cooked, pat excess oil away with a paper towel. If you’re working with a large volume of fish, you can keep your cooked filets in a warm oven until ready to serve with sides.
Cooking, Cedar Plank
One of the major concerns when cooking fish, particularly on the grill, is the flesh sticking to the bottom surface. A cedar plank solves this problem by providing a stable, non-stick surface that also produces a natural smoky flavour (it’s still a good idea to brush the bottom of the fish in some sort of oil).
This plank should be untreated and about one inch in thickness, and although cedar is the most popular, oak, apple, maple, or cherry wood are acceptable as well. Before cooking, you’ll want to soak the board in water for at least an hour, allowing the board to resist the flames for the length of time needed to cook the fish. Keep in mind the board will probably char a little bit, and that’s fine, but if it catches flame, spray down with water. There’s no need to flip the fish, just cook until flakey in texture; it typically takes about 50 per cent longer than direct grilling.
