To Fillet or not to Fillet

[fishfeeder]

I am getting in to the offshore side of fishing (Moreton Island) and have a few questions over getting the best out of the fish I catch or should that be hope to catch ?

Do most people Fillet all there fish, or is it a size thing ?
Is it better to skin the Fillets if going to be frozen ?
Are there species that are better baked whole ?
Should I scale fish to be baked if they are going to be frozen ?

Sorry for all the questions at once but thought they were all related to the one topic.

Fishfeeder

[nidrac]

Mate it depends on what you want to be doing with the fish, we have always filleted skinned and boned all our fish that we get and never had a problem with the quality but that is mostly because we rarely ever eat the fish whole or any other way, however if i was to save freeze a whole fish i would try to only do it with the smaller ones that way it won't take ages for it to defrost and have the outside hot and going bad while the inside is still frozen.. i would also do all the prep on the fish i needed to do before freezing (scaling, gutting etc.) as i said i've never needed to do this so someone else might have some better ways.

Nidrac.

[Noelm]

some fish are better with the skin on, others skinned, I guess it is just a matter of trying to see what suits you. Freezing is better with all skinning, boning, scaling and so on done, ready for cooking.

[fishfeeder]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I have been trying a few different ways of cooking, like I smoked some Yellowtail Kingfish fillets a while ago and they where fantastic hot with a beer, even cold the next day at work it tasted great

But it got me thinking that some species like Squire say 38-40cm the fillets are kind of small so i normally Bake to get the most out of my catch.

I wondered how most people would look at say a mixed bag of Reef fish, do they just fillet and freeze or do they look at there catch and keep certin species of fish and say smaller ones for bakeing and fillet the bigger ones.

Fishfeeder

[Noelm]

not a real fan of baked fish (but I have done a few), but any fish worth keeping is big enough to fillet and bone or I don't keep it.

[nidrac]

not a real fan of baked fish (but I have done a few), but any fish worth keeping is big enough to fillet and bone or I don't keep it.

yeah i second that... if you can't get a decent fillet off it let it grow until you can, some of the min. sizes are way too small. But that being said when baked whole if you can get a decent feed go for it. Generally don't have that problem up here with small reef fish though. :smiley:

Nidrac

[sleepygreg]

Thats a good question Fishfeeder. One that I am sure many casual or new to fishing anglers would be thinking but not asking.

If you are interested in different ways of cooking fish, check out the recipes section on this forum..plenty of great ideas there.

I generally fillet, skin and debone MOST of my fish at the end of the trip, though the filleting is usually done at the ramp if the is a cleaning table handy - and the skinning and deboning done at home in more hygenic surrounds. If I am going to use some of the catch for cooking whole ( I love snapper, tuskies and some trevs wrapped in foil whole and done on the BBQ or in the oven) for a centrepiece at a dinner party or gathering around the barbie, I will gill, gut and scale at the ramp(cleaning table).

There are some species that are more suited to the different cooking methods, but a lot of the time it is a personal preference. I am not a fan of 'dry' baked fish, unless it is a fish that has a high oil content (usually the darker fleshed fish), which is not usually a reef fish.

Most of your reefies are suitable for methods like batttered, floured and shallow fried, floured and done on the bbq plate, poached, steamed asian style (my favourite), or foil wrapped (with appropriate spices/condiments/seasoning) - this can be done whole or fillets, light curries, clear soups. For broths (like seafood bisque, or chowders) stick to the less desireables as they will have a stronger 'fishy' flavour to bring some life to the dish - and leave the better quality fish to 'stand on their own'.

As others have said...if you are going to freeze your catch...do as much prep as possible before you freeze it...as once it thawed it will deteriorate quickly if you have to start handling the flesh with your warm hands to prep it. Also label what you are freezing, try to keep your species seperate, and ideally freeze fillets individually so that they freeze quickly and thaw quickly...dont just lump a kilo of filets into a bag and chuck em in a freezer. No point in doing all the right things in the prep then stuffing it all up by taking short cuts in the freezing process. Also thaw the fillets out in the fridge...not on the bench top..that way when they have thawed they are still at proper storage temp......i have seen (and done) many people put fish (and other things) out on the bench/sink to thaw, and not keep check on them. Only to come back some time later to find that it has thawed, and also attained room temperature...and you dont know how long it has been at room temperature. This is not only dangerous in terms of food poisoning, but if you get it before the bugs have grown, the fish will not have the eating qualities it should have.

Greg

[trueblue]

well said Greg

fish should actually be defrosed in the fridge over 2 days, instead of on the bench

Personally, i scale and gut a lot of my fish, and then freeze them whole after using a pair of sanitised tinsnips to cut fins and tail off

I like to cook whole fish wrapped in foil on the BBQ, and there is no wastage like this as compared to filleting

that said, I do also fillet, but I hate filleting at the boat ramp

cheers

Mick

[Noelm]

well said greg, i don't know how many times I have written (here and other forums) about using top quality fish in soups and curries with a thousand spices, that sort of cooking is far better with the (perceived) lesser eating quality fish, don't know why someone would get a (say) coral trout then smother it in strong flavors and spices, jesus cooked like that, a photo of a trout would taste the same, simple clean flavors for the 'top shelf" curries and stuff for the "bottom shelf" species for me.

[FNQCairns]

Depends too on your personal culture, sometimes i like to sit quietly and dissect a whole cooked fish (about 5kg max) while watching TV might also have a few different dipping sauces on the side. lots of different flesh textures and tastes available on a single fish.

Only enjoyable for me if I can get the time completely alone and if at the same time hungry.

[Scott nthQld]

pretty easy for me, fillet, skin and debone everything, prep, and cut into serving size peices and freeze, 1 feed to a bag +plus a bit extra for lunch the next day.

Doesn't matter what it is, everything gets done this way, but I do make sure each bag only has one species, but usually have amixed bag left over. I label with species and date so if I was to bring home more fish before the rest was eaten, I know which stuff need to be eaten first.

PS, stronger fish, like macks, and trevally go great in a sweet and sour, curry with prawns and squid.

Oh and one of my favourite things to eat are the wings of just about any white fleshed fish (anything from barra, to Coral trout), seasoned with salt and pepper, splashed with a bit of olive oil, scatter a few bits of PROPER butter around the tray and baked in the oven. Sometimes I will throw a whole lemon in the tray as well, being roasted brings out a completely different flavour when you squeeze it over the fish....yum!

Another is to cut out the cheeks of your coral trout, season with salt and pepper, squeeze a bit of lemon juice and put a little bit of butter on each one, zap it in the microwave for a few seconds til its just cooked, even a little under as it will keep cooking for a period....that's the bit I most look forward too after fishing.

Sorry to hijack with a cooking, but notmuch goes to waste, what I don't eat becomes crab bait or burley for next time

[gr hilly]

some very good advice there from greg he is spot on you have now learn't the very best way to to look after your catch now you can enjoy' asian style my favourite to

hilly

[Crunchy]

A couple of tips to add...

1) When freezing down your fillets, add a tbl spoon (No more) of fresh clean sea water to the bag, then lower the bag into a bucket of water to express all the air and seal it up (Using zip lock bags). Expressing the air helps avoid freezer burn and the small amount of sea water makes the fish as fresh as when you bagged it.

2) Thaw your fillets on a rack (I use a plastic cake cooling rack) in a container to catch the liquid. Thawing fish produces liquid which deteriorates the fish quickly, if its drained away then no issue - better result.

Damn, getting hungry...

[Crunchy]

......
Oh and one of my favourite things to eat are the wings of just about any white fleshed fish (anything from barra, to Coral trout), seasoned with salt and pepper, splashed with a bit of olive oil, scatter a few bits of PROPER butter around the tray and baked in the oven. Sometimes I will throw a whole lemon in the tray as well, being roasted brings out a completely different flavour when you squeeze it over the fish....yum!
...

Oh yeh I'm defintately going to try that on some wings, such a bloody waste not eating them.

Speaking of waste, was watching a Malaysian cooking show last night and they were eating the fish eyeballs, bit of a delicacy apparently...anyone tried them?

[Noelm]

better than wings is a big Snapper backbone, dusted in flour and cooked untill brown and crisp, mind you I have had a few other species of backbone as well, and they are good, but a Snapper is extra good. Doing this is really good if you happen to leave a bit extra on the bone when filleting.