Inside Angles: Killer-Tasting Fish at the Table

We have long held that fish are nutritious and delicious and when they’re harvested wisely, they’re a renewable resource. So we release bigger fish to sustain good fishing, but we also harvest some of the more abundant smaller fish to help keep populations in balance and to continue a tradition of eating some of the catch. That captures the essence of the practice of selective harvest.

What a blessing to be able to put some of these fish on the table. Largemouths from 12 to 14 inches have always been a favorite. Sweet, with an almost nutty flavor resembling the way bluegills taste, they have beautiful pearly white, flaky flesh that lends itself to many recipes and every known cooking method. (They even pickle well.) But don’t get me started. I love them all, from perch and pike to stripers—and white bass steam up beautifully and go well with various dipping sauces. You get the idea. A discussion for another day. No, I don’t have an absolute favorite. I pretty much love them all and appreciate the difference in flavor from one species to another.

If we’re going to keep some of the catch, we should do it well, so that fish are the best they can be when they reach the table. For a couple years now, we have occasionally written about ike jime, a Japanese fish-kill method recognized as the gold standard for fish care. (Pronounce it ikee jee-me.)

Fish are killed immediately after being caught by spiking the brain, followed by the destruction of the spinal cord by running a wire down the spinal canal, from the back of the brain at the head of the fish. This stops all neural signaling to the muscles, which halts chemical reactions that cause fish to go quickly and deeply into rigor (rigor mortis). The result, without getting into grand details, is the best possible texture and taste in fish.

Bleeding is another important step taken right after the fish is dispatched. Cut the blood vessels leading from the heart to the gills by cutting through the isthmus at the throat of the fish, right behind the gills. Or, on fisheries where length limits are a factor, cut the soft tissue right behind the gills in the collar of the fish. Even though the fish is dead, there’s enough blood pressure to ensure that it bleeds out.

Even if the “wire thing down the spine” seems a step too far for you, at least kill your catch immediately if you can and bleed them. And even if you can’t kill your catch immediately, at least bleed your catch a bit later before you clean them. Bleeding is a big step toward producing fillets that look and taste as clean and fresh as they look. (We first mentioned bleeding fish in the 1980s, so, no surprise, change often takes a long time.)

The most recent recommendation is to let the fish bleed out before putting it into an icy slurry to chill it and keep it chilled, as chilling tends to inhibit bleeding. You might put the fish in your livewell for a moment; bleeding doesn’t take long—perhaps no more than 60 seconds, but you can go a bit longer.

Then get the fish into an icy slurry consisting of ice cubes or crushed ice with a bit of water. I’ve recently been using insulated fish-kill bags instead of hard-sided coolers. I have a 40-liter bag from Elkton that’ 36 X 18 inches, which I got to hold king salmon, but it also works well for bass, pike, and walleyes. It was priced at just over $120 when I got it. And I have a smaller bag from Canyon (also just over $100), the B-30, which is 20 X 24 inches, so it holds at least a dozen 12- to 14-inch bass, more than you’ll want to keep on most outings.”

The fish bags are much easier than hard coolers to fit in the boat. They wash out easily and fold up for easy storage. And they keep fish straighter, which means you don’t have to bend them back to fillet them if they go into rigor. This kill method reduces how quickly and intensely fish go into rigor, which is what causes chemical processes that make fish tougher (chewier) and less tasty. Bending fish back into shape tears flesh (called gaping) and makes it mushy and tasteless.

As mentioned, the best killing method is with a brain spike. They aren’t expensive and a good one can be purchased from AFTCO. Insert the spike into the brain at about a 30-degree angle at the top of the head just behind the eyes. The fish will quiver momentarily and then go still.

You also need what AFTCO calls a “Circuit Breaker” wire for destroying the fish’s spinal cord. The 22g 20-inch wire is perfect for working with most fish the size we keep—13-inch bass, for example, and 16- to 18-inch walleyes. Insert the wire into the brain cavity, slide it to the back and find the opening to the spinal canal.

If the wire doesn’t slide down the length of the fish easily you may have to use the spike to open the back of the brain just a bit more. As you slide the wire down the spine the fish will quiver from time to time as you destroy the cord. Then bleed the fish as described before placing it into the ice slurry and away you go.

The other remarkable thing about this fish-kill method is that it produces fish that often gets better with a little aging. Instead of having to worry about eating fish before 3 days pass, properly handled fish can gather an intensity and depth of flavor. The Japanese call this umami (oo-ma-mee). Without blood in the flesh and all the stress chemicals fish often keeps for many days and cooks up better then—so long as it’s properly stored of course.

A simple mantra that captures the essence of this gold standard for fish care is Catch, Kill, Bleed, Chill. This best possible way to care for the catch ensures killer tasting fish when they get to the table.

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