"Fishy" Fish

[LivinTheDream]

At the risk of asking a dumb question and sounding like an idiot...

What makes a fish taste "fishy". I think that some species have distinct tastes and that some are more fishy than others, but what about the case of rockfish and large mouth bass for example? Is it just bad cleaning? I just posted that I had a less wonderful tasting rockfish that was about 24" while every other that was smaller has been good for me. Sometimes I get a large mouth bass that tastes kind of fishy while most are quite good. I know that some species have parts to be removed for good taste, but if I have bled and filleted two LMB or rockfish in the same way and one has a great taste and the other kind of fishy, what might be the cause?

Educate me!

[FishMoken]

There are steps you can take to help with this, while it will not take out the taste from all fish it can help. I always bleed the fish and put them on ice if I know I will be keeping them. I keep a pair of chicken shears in the kayak and you just cut under the gill plate and they will bleed out pretty fast. Also I hear catfishermen will soak the fillets in milk over night to help them taste better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dasher]

No such thing as a dumb question.

Bad cleaning can contribute to a fishy taste. I can speak about saltwater fis but do not think I have ever eaten a LM bass, just saltwater fish perch to stripers & oceanic fish.
By species, some fish have a stronger flavor, like bluefish, & the strongest parts can be removed by removing the strip of dark meat.

In a single species of fish, if there is a difference in fish taste, I do the following, I fillet my fish, & then when cleaned, with a sharp paring knife remove any bones & pieces of skin & rinse well & pat dry. A nicked gall bladder can ruin a good fillet. (http://everything2.com/title/Cleaning+fish) In my opinion, if the meat is clean and blemish free, rinsed well & patted dry, there are no problems. Fish fillets that are slimy have spoiled, & i'don't mean slime on the outside of the fish skin.
I suspect that fish that are exceedinly fishy may have begun to spoil.
Stripers fresh from the ocean taste a bit different than resident fish, but not more fishy.

Any fish with open sores, go back immediately.

[mjkeith13]

We soak our catfish fillets in buttermilk with a dash or two of hot sauce for at least 4 hours to overnight. Really makes a difference. I've done this with some fishy mahi as well and does the trick.

[yakscientist]

We soak our catfish fillets in buttermilk with a dash or two of hot sauce for at least 4 hours to overnight. Really makes a difference. I've done this with some fishy mahi as well and does the trick.

This sounds like a great approach, do you only pre-soak the ones you're going to eat soon after? Or do you also soak ones you intend to freeze, and rinse off the fillets before freezing? Just curious, I like the taste of bluecats, but I'm always up for trying new preservation and cooking techniques.

[Slobber Bob]

Dasher is spot on. How the fish is cared for after being caught can make a difference.

Bleed them right away and cool them down if its warm out. Dark meat will give a fishy taste, so either cut it all out when your are cleaning the fish or just eat around it if you choose to leave it in when cooking.

If you plan to freeze fish a vacuum packer will preserve the meat the best. When freezing, I suggest removing all the dark meat prior to vacuum sealing. It'll just give it a better taste later. If you wash the meat before freezing, make sure it is absolutely dry before sealing it in the vacuum bag. Again, just helps it stay fresh longer. Honestly, if you bleed a fish, and don't accidentally nick the guts when cleaning, you really shouldn't have to rinse the fillets anyway as there is nothing to really foul up the meat. Even doing all this don't let meat sit in the freezer too long; it still has a shelf life.

I've never soaked meat in milk, but will often use a simple brine (water, sugar, salt) to help improve flavor and/or draw out any fishy taste.

Oily fish will also be fishier tasting like Dasher pointed out (bluefish, herring, mackerel, etc..).

Where the fish is caught could make a difference in taste too maybe? Although, I personally haven't experienced that ever.

[Big Mike]

I carry a cooler with ice on all my trips and put what I'm keeping on ice as quick as I can (I don't bleed them but it probably would help). On my bigger rockfish I'll make the effort to remove the "bloodline" of darker meat before cooking or freezing. To me it doesn't taste very good. I'll put in a good word for 12" to 15" bluefish as really good eating with little fishy flavor when eaten fresh and placed on ice as soon as caught. They don't freeze worth a darn. There's no fixing a big bluefish so I don't bother keeping them.

[dirtyjake237]

I was always told to look at the eyeball by guys who sold fish under their commercial licenses. If the eyeball is clear then the fish meat is good to sell and consume. If the eyeball is cloudy like the fish has cataracts then the market wouldn't buy em and couldn't sell em. Real stinky inside and taste real fishy. All the other suggestions given is what I saw done to keep em fresh for market. The best tip I ever got for snapper blues was to brine them live. Bucket of salt water filled with ice, as soon as you catch em put em in live until they stiffen up like a board. Then bring em home slowly thaw and soak in buttermilk. If that can take the fishy oily out of a bluefish it will work on anything.

[mjkeith13]

Sorry for the late answer. We only soak the fillets we intend to eat. Soaking and then freezing I've found turns them pretty mushy when you get around to defrosting and cooking. Though, I haven't tried but if you rinse them off real well and dry the fillets before freezing that may work. I'll try next time and let you know.