Thread: Removing Strong Fishy Taste

Funny, I never bother trying to remove the red meat left on white bass after skinning (I will remove from cats and stripers), I just don't think they have a very strong taste. For all my frozen fish (white bass, bass, striper, white perch), I usually soak them overnight in water with some Old Bay in it and the come out good. Similar to the sea salt method but with a MD touch to it.

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

Let me clarify here. When you say Stripe do you mean White Bass? I love my Crappie but I like White Bass too but hate cutting the red meat out of them. If I soak the White Bass filet's in baking soda overnight and rub some mustard on before frying...how much mustard? I will be rid of that strong taste and smell?? Will I taste any mustard after cooking. From now until August I can catch as many 2 to 3 pound White Bass as I want but only ever kept a days limit or two due to the work involved to get the red out. It not only tastes strong it will stink up a house. Would appreciate any more info you have on this. If this works on White Bass it should also work on the smaller cousin Yellow Bass which is an even sweeter tasting fish but is harder to get the red out as it is a much smaller fish. I hope this works...I have been trying to figure this out for years.


Thanks

I think the biggest thing is to get the red and yellow meat out depending on what you are cleaning. White bass, wipers and stripers have a red strip in them that is fairly strong if you leave it in. Catfish have some red meat in them and some of the fish have yellow meat in them that is pretty strong tasting.
I also think it makes a big difference in how the fish is handled once it is dead. Fish that are cleaned and frozen right away seem to be less strong tasting to me.

Originally Posted by kcbrown

Don't just remove the blood line, but the whole skin side. I do this:

Fillet the side of the cat per usual.

Now, look at the fillet, skin side up (skin should be removed by now), see that seam going from tail to head? Split that seam, all the way from end to end.

Cut those two pieces into about 3-5" pieces top to bottom.

Now to remove the taste. Put the pieces skin side down, thick part facing you, see where the fat changes into good meat? You need to press that fillet down lightly, using a normal or electric knife, fillet that part off. On a big cat you may need to remove 3/16-1/4" of meat to get rid of the fat. I use this technique even on smaller channels, just don't have to remove much, more of a shaving except the chunk right where you split the fillet. Smaller fish is more of a wedge cut instead of actually filleting the side off.

In the end it seems you're wasting a bunch of meat, but you are creating magic. That resultant fillet of fish is delicious.

I have family and friends that swear they can't eat anything other than crappie or like tasting fish... they have eaten a meal of my cat not knowing the difference other than mentioning the size/shape. I repeatedly ask, "how's the fish".... then tell them. 100% cat. Now, I have plenty of folks that love cat, if I clean it.

You're a little more precise than I am, but yes, you want to leave the fat with the skin. When I fillet mine and go to skin then, I've noticed you can actually see where the fat and meat are seperate, and a fillet knife will ride along that layer almost naturally. I still have to get the center red meat off, but this takes care of a lot of the outer fat.

I can't stand farmed catfish, since most leave on this fat layer and it makes the fish mushy and oily.

Originally Posted by hunter7711

Any fish, of any species, that is trophy class goes back in the water. I catch plenty of fish to cook. Let someone else get the fun out of the big ones. Sorry! I sure everyone can do what they want. But I hate seeing big fish killed when you have to go to extremes to make it taste good.

Hunter, I am with you. Take a picture and ease him back over the side.

Country

I try to only eat crappie or walleye to stay away from that strong taste

Originally Posted by shelldecoy

I try to only eat crappie or walleye to stay away from that strong taste

I'm with you shelldecoy. With the exception of some big ole Gills.

Originally Posted by Team M&M

yes yes I agree with you. Didn't mean for my post to sound like I'm disagreeing with catch and release folks. I totally support catch and release to anyone who wants to practice it. I was just saying for me personally I have never done it. Yes I do throw back anything too small to keep or anything over my limits. Also sometimes I throw fish back just cause I don't want to clean that many.

Once again I totally support anyone practicing C&R, but I fish for food. Any fish my family eats means less money I spend at the grocery store.

Your real problem is not the individual like myself but commercial fisherman and yes I know because I used to be one. I was just a small time guy selling to local fish markets but some commercial operations are much larger than what I did. I know guys that fish the basin and rivers comercially with nets and they have no sympathy for fish populations at all. They will keep anything deemed legal by law and they catch thousands and thousands of pounds a week. I have seen a 6 boat operation running nets and it would boggle your mind at the catfish, buffalo, and gar they catch on a daily basis.

They catch more in one day than 200 ordinary fisherman catch in a month.

The bulk of Fish harvested by commercial fishermen are rough fish which most fishermen do not want and crowd out game fish if left unchecked. And yes I do some commercial fishing some winters.

Originally Posted by NIMROD

The bulk of Fish harvested by commercial fishermen are rough fish which most fishermen do not want and crowd out game fish if left unchecked. And yes I do some commercial fishing some winters.

Amen. Get a lake overpopulated with buffalo or carp or the dreaded flying carp or gar, and you will be beating the bushes trying to find a commercial fisherman. If they catch some catfish, too, then fine, but there is no other practical way to get a bunch of rough fish out of a body of water.