Eel Slime Remover

[Jim_Tait]

Hey,
I don't know how many of you mob like a feed of eel but smoked they are one of the best eating freshwater fish going. The bit that I have never liked about preparing them was getting the slime off your hands afterwards. I recently discovered by accident that there is a perfect slime reoval material. Paperbark - just pull off a thin piece, crush it up and rub it over you hands like it was a piece of soap - wash off under water - all the slime goes with it - there is hardly any smell left even - its pretty amazing considering how hard the stuff is to get off your hands otherwise. Sure it'll work for catties as well.

Tight lines - Jim

[Fitzy]

A good tip Jim. I just hope folks dont go tearing into the melaelucas that I've been planting up the river. ;)

Owned a property on Bundamba Creek (a feeder creek of the Bremer) for some years as a kid. Caught alot of eels (among other things) & the old man loved them. Used to cut them across the vertebrae into steaks (like mackerel). Never tried them smoked, the old fella used to fry them. Wasn't was I'd now call top class, but it was edible.

Jim, do you have much knowlege on the freshwater crabs? Caught a few in the shrimp traps in the creek over the years & know very little about them.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Jim_Tait]

G'day Fitzy,

there's a big difference between frying and smoking fish. It is pretty much an Australian trait to fry everything (after you have knocked off a nice slab fillet) and that is one of the reasons that a lot of fish popular in other cultures or countries (oily or smaller species) are considered crap in Oz.

Take the humble fork tail cattie - most wouldnt consider eating them - but if you cut verticle slices to the vertebrae along each flank about an inch and a half apart rub in a bit of salt and very slow grill (half smoke) them just above the lick of the flame of a open fire (or just wack em in a box smoker) - they come out delicious. Something I learnt from the locals in PNG. When I was working up there monitoring fish populations in the Fly River we'd often give our gill net catch to the local population (if there was any where we were workin) it came as a bit of a surprise that villagers would often reach past the barra and black bass (prime whitefella tucker) and reach for the catfish. I figured they'd been eating them for tens of thousands of years so must know something about it - when I started cooking fish - PNG style I learnt why - fattier fish cooked like I described are surpreme (barra and bass come up alright done like that as well). Try it and try smoking eel, millions of euopeans, yanks and asians cant have it all wrong!

Regards freshwatr crabs - i have come across them a bit. There a re a couple of families - some are largely marine ones that just moved a bit further upstream but some are genuine terrestrial versions that have moist branchial chambers (like lungs) instead of gills. The latter can aestivate for most of the year. I've seen them pop out of parched black soil plains in the gulf and be running around in puddles after half an inch of rain at the end of the dry - amazing critters - what would you like to know about them? Their taxonomy is still pretty rudimentary but there is a guy at DNRM&E in Brisbane (Satish Choy) that is getting a good handle on Qld species.

Regards - Jim

[Fitzy]

Hey Jim,
While working as a fitter years ago we made dozens of smokers for ppl. You'd think I would have done one for myself.

The crabs just came to mind when thinking about what we caught in that creek. I brought a couple home & had one in a tank for a couple of years & another in a well in the backyard for 4 or 5. Neither grew to anything over about 2" in any dimention. Looked just like an immature muddy.
Am just interested in their distrubution, life cycle, status etc general info stuff.

Fitzy..

[ipswichfisher]

THE DESCRIPTION OF THESE CRABS SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME CRABS WWE USED TO CATHC IN GUTTERS IN C.Q AROUND DYSART AND EMERALD. THE AREAS WE CAUGHT THEM IN WERE OFTEN DRY MORE MONTHS, BUT THEY WERE THERE AFTER RAIN.. JUST LOOKED LIKE A SMALL MUDDIE AS DESCRIBED IN PREVIOUS POSTS. NOO TECHNICAL INFO THOUGH.