Tips for Handling Your Fresh Fish in Preparation for Cooking

Handle your fresh caught fish with care to preserve its delicate flavor. The same handling is important if it's a freshwater or a saltwater fish. The tips I'm going to show you will ensure your newly caught fish will become a sumptuous meal.

First lets look at the moment you land your fish. If you avoid allowing your catch to flop on any hard surface you will prevent bruising. By rinsing your fish with a hose or even bucket rinsing your fish as soon as you remove it from its natural habitat you can remove much of the slime and bacteria that cause spoilage. I wouldn't recommend using water that is in close proximity of marinas, municipal or industrial discharges. It is wise to use only potable water for this.

After you have rinsed your fish its important to chill it as soon as possible to prevent deterioration. Put your fish on ice, or chill the fish by whatever means you have, within the hour. If you plan ahead you should have no difficulty accomplishing this. Ice chest' are inexpensive and readily available. A rule of thumb is you want the fish covered in about 3" of ice. Try to use chlorinated water for the final rinsing of your catch just before cleaning.

As soon as possible you want to clean the fish. Gently remove the fish's scales being careful not to wound the flesh of the fish. The fish scales will have many types of bacteria on them. By removing the scales and washing the fish you avoid spreading any of these bacteria into the meat of your fish.

To gut the fish, cut the belly and remove all of the internal organs and discard them. Flush the open cavity with large amounts of fresh water ensuring that there is no blood or internals of the fish left on the fish or in the body cavity. Don't soak the cleaned fish for a long period of time in fresh water. Doing this could damage the meat texture and rune its flavor.

Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands before and after you handle the fish. To thaw frozen fish it is best to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours or let the wrapped fish be run under cold water. You will loose some of the fishes texture and flavor if you thaw it at room temp before cooking. The nutritional value as well as the fishes flavor can be maintained up to about 5 days if the fish has been properly cleaned and stored.

A rule of thumb to follow when baking your fresh fish no matter what kind of fish you caught is to cook the fish 10 minutes for every inch measured. Increase that time by 5 minutes for fresh fish and 10 minutes for frozen fish if your fish is enclosed in foil or being cooked in a baking sauce.

If you are grilling your fish, do just the opposite of baking it. Season your catch and grill on high heat for a short period of time. This will sear the skin and cook the inside of the fish leaving the meat succulent, with just the right texture for that out of this world meal.

If you are deep frying your fish, follow the directions of the batter mix you are using because all batters are not the alike. But just a note: I have had some of the best eating filleted perch with homemade beer batter and a Fry Daddy. Happy eating!