One of the reasons that so many people love to go out and fish, apart from the scenery and tranquillity, is the chance to catch a fish to take home for supper. Fish are extremely nutritious and make for an excellent and delicious meal by the time supper comes around.
There are a lot of different ways of preparing fish, and a fisherman that intends to eat what they catch will want to make sure that their catch has been prepared properly before putting it in the oven, on the grill, or on a pan. Here we will look at some useful tips and tricks for cleaning, gutting, and preparing a freshly caught fish.
The Right Tools
Preparing a fish doesn’t mean having a full kitchen’s worth of utensils available, but there are a few tools that a fisherman will want to have at the ready by the time they want to start getting the fish ready. The first is a high quality, extremely sharp knife.
It’s important to remember that a fish generally contains a lot of small bones and being able to remove them properly is vital to making the fish as palatable as possible; no one wants to have a sharp fish bone cut the inside of their mouth while they’re eating. If the fish is to be prepared at home, it should be put into a bucket or cooler box of ice as soon as possible to preserve the freshness.
Next, a clean working area is necessary, which can just consist of a large, wooden cutting board as well as a bowl or two to get rid of the excess that is cut off the fish. Having clean water available to wash away the blood can also help make it that much easier to clean the fish up.
Gutting The Fish
To start the gutting process, the fish needs to be clean. It should be rinsed under cold water to remove all of the debris and slime. After it has been cleaned, the gills should be cut away to bleed the fish. Cut the underbelly of the fish from the start of the tail to the head, and then grab near to the gills and pull out all of the organs. This can be difficult to get right at first, but it can be done right with enough practise.
Finally, the fisherman will want to go through the fish and remove any excess bits that they don’t want. The head can be cut off and buried or used to make fish stock, great for making soup while playing real money pokies.
Finishing The Preparation
Optionally, the scales can be removed by using the sharp knife to slowly and carefully cut off the skin, making sure the incision isn’t too deep. The next step is to fillet it, which means cutting out just the pieces of meat that are intended to be eaten. The type and size of the meat depends entirely on the species of fish and how it will be cooked.
