To wash, or not to wash ... your fillets!

[mikejson 35]

Hey everyone,

I recently heard this when talking fishing talk at work, just wanted to know what everyone else does...

This one guy told me that you shouldn't wash your fillets until you are ready to cook them.

What say you to this?

I've always washed em after I was done cuttin...

[Guest TerryK]

Hey everyone,

I recently heard this when talking fishing talk at work, just wanted to know what everyone else does...

This one guy told me that you shouldn't wash your fillets until you are ready to cook them.

What say you to this?

I've always washed em after I was done cuttin...

Never heard that one myself. i always wash them as soon as I'm done cleaning the fish. Then, I usually wash them again before I cook them.

[Some Old Guy 968]

I rinse mine off after filleting them and they pretty much go straight into the pan. I just gut my fish when transporting them. I find it to much of a pain to leave that little tag of skin on.

Roger

[sinker7 114]

I never wash my fillets unless they have been frozen. I take extra care when cleaning to avoid getting any gut-juice on the meat. Why dilute the fine flavour with water?

[Some Old Guy 968]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Gut-juice.

Roger

[mikejson 35]

I rinse mine off after filleting them and they pretty much go straight into the pan. I just gut my fish when transporting them. I find it to much of a pain to leave that little tag of skin on.

Roger

Ya, I will confess, I've actually transported without the tag.... I seem to have a big issue with getting the tag off without losing a bit of meat and it drives me nuts....

Lately I've been transporting with the entire skin left on, as I heard about the CO at Lac, and that's where I just was last weekend

Obviously, with the skin still on, it doesn't clean up too well

[mikejson 35]

I never wash my fillets unless they have been frozen. I take extra care when cleaning to avoid getting any gut-juice on the meat. Why dilute the fine flavour with water?

This is what my friend said actually... as long as you don't puncture anything, cut the meat clean off, and store it as is.... rinse lightly before cooking.

I guess I'll give it a shot to see if it really makes any difference.

[Some Old Guy 968]

Especially when I leave Lac I leave the fish whole so they can measure them. I always leave them whole now. I'll fillet them when I get home.

Roger

[Guest Tracker Pro V]

Johnson you got to clean them and I beleive with lake water is best without the chlorine.

[unbedable 16]

One of the ways I heard to clean a fish better, was to cut the gills while it was still on the stringer or freshly on the ice, as the meat was cleaner afterwards. I didn't want to try this as it seemed unnecessary, but any truth to this?

[Guest Hoistanen]

I never wash my fillets unless they have been frozen. I take extra care when cleaning to avoid getting any gut-juice on the meat. Why dilute the fine flavour with water?

Amen. You don't wash a steak, do ya?

[Some Old Guy 968]

Never thought of it that way Hoist.

Roger

[grumpy 2]

I never wash the fillets.

and now it makes sence thanks Hoistenan

[Guest Kevin Green]

Hey everyone,

I recently heard this when talking fishing talk at work, just wanted to know what everyone else does...

This one guy told me that you shouldn't wash your fillets until you are ready to cook them.

What say you to this?

I've always washed em after I was done cuttin...

I have heard similar theories that if you wash it too thoroughly you will was the flavour out of the meat.

If you ask me the flavour of fish is the grease logged batter not the meat

[AB 98]

Roger,

What do you mean "I wait till I get home to clean my fish?" Seems to me a lot of your fish guts have wound up in my garbage can!

As for keeping the fillets in better shape, with salmon on the west coast, and here as well, I've found that bleeding the fish as soon as the decision is made to retain it leaves the meat in better condition.

Before the fish goes on ice I slash the main artery leading to the gills. The fish dies quickly and most of the blood is removed from the muscle tissue. Once the fish is bled out, I remove the gills and internal organs.

I've found a significant reduction in gut juice on the filleting board and the flesh stays firmer. It does seem to make a difference in the table quality of the fish to me.

I know a lot of guys who do the same to whitefish and lake trout. Never bothered with walleye as they go from the live well to the filleting board. Can't get much fresher then that!

Has anyone tried bleeding out walleye and noticed an difference in their quality in the frying pan?

iceman

[Master Baiter 1]

Amen. You don't wash a steak, do ya?

Nope, but I'm not going to try filleting a cow either!!

But when I do cut off what I want I do wash it and then ride the rest home :lol:

[Some Old Guy 968]

Iceman,

Yes a lot of my fish guts end up in your garbage can. True true true. But I only started eating walleye cheeks.................!!!!!!!!

Roger

[Guest FreshwaterFisherman]

I only rinse my fish right before i cook them. If i am cooking them right when i get home i just give them a quick dip in water with ice cubes, it seems to firm them up a little bit and doesn't wash away much of the flavour

[tracker 61]

As Iceman says, bleeding makes a difference. I use a pair of garden shears and snip the gills and let them bleed out in the live well. Works great for bass as they seem to bleed twice as much as walleye.

[Resource Pimp 60]

I rinse my walleye fillets in fresh water right after filleting. Especially walleyes from very warm water in july and august , they have a bit of slim to them. The best thing you can do for taste is NOT freeze them . Eat em fresh

[Buck 120 32]

Whenever I freeze my fillets I fill the bag with water, this helps preserve and prevent freezer burn. Lately I leave the skin on as well as this seems to preserve the flavour.

[Some Old Guy 968]

I don't think I have frozen walleye to eat later in about 15 years. To me it tastes the same but it loses it's frimness I guess..... I don't know, just something different about it. Still tastes good though.

[Castnblast 86]

I prefer not to rinse. When I do rinse, I'll pat them dry with paper towel before throwing them in ziplocks.

cnb

[Mr. Canoehead 69]

In the summer I usually rinse them in salty lakewater, if they are bloody. If they're not bloody then I don't bother. The reason for the salt is because I read somewhere that lakewater bacteria can cause the meat to begin spoiling just as much as the blood can. I have definately noticed a difference in firmness.

In winter I don't bother since I fillet them at home. If I fillet on the ice it's because we're having a shore lunch.

I always rinse slime off fillets before I cook them. I rarely find walleye to be slimey, but PIKE on the other hand.. using my hands to scrub the pike slime off the fillets really works to gets rid of that fishy taste.

I freeze perch or pike fillets completely submerged in saltwater and they last forever. Trout and walleye get eaten fresh!!