I like fishy-tasting fish myself. Catfish can be a little bland, unless wild-caught. Rainbow trout caught in a cold clear stream are good. Walleye and crappie even better.
This is tuna.. and it can get a bit strong. I saw the discussion using milk.. but that was with shark and ammonia. That's not an issue here.. but, maybe the milk will work?
I don't know. Buttermilk will take alot of wild taste out of wild game. I like the wild taste actually. I don't know if I would eat the tuna if it is not very fresh.
All fish smell fishy. If it doesn't, I would not eat it. Who knows what it was treated with. I have worked offshore and fish smell fishy. If it stinks or is discolored, I would be concerned.
My tuna always tastes good.. but it does smell fishy.. strong.
The boats my son goes out on put the fish in a freezing brine tank. They are solid as a rock when he gets back to shore and they are loaded into ice chests. They are fairly solid when we cut them into steaks and clods. I then take my share and vacuum seal them and toss into the freezer. Can't hardly get much fresher than that.
But, they still smell kinda strong. I'm trying to remove some/most of that.
Tuna requires immediate and constant icing - sounds like your son's boat has that covered. I'm therefore guessing the fish wasn't bled immediately after being caught, and/or the dark red (blood) meat along the lateral line (center length of fish on either side) was not removed.
A group of us recently caught 8 blackfin from out in the gulf (up to about 50 lbs ea), and they had absolutley no fishy smell or taste -- either raw (with a squeeze of lemon and/or a bit of wasabi) right off the fish cleaning table at the dock, or after a few days (but staying fully submerged in an ice bath until otherwise prepared). However I grilled mine (two ways - either a reduced citrus and balsamic marinade/dipping sauce with a mayo-wasabi cool finish sauce , or a pretty basic teryaki with mango salsa to finish it. Both turned out great (if I do say so myself) and even the wife and kids, who normally only eat tuna out of a can, and get sqeamish around rre fish really enjoyed it! Perhaps the longer time required on the smoker causes it to break down a bit?
On the otherhand, fresh amberjack, mullet, or mahi on the smoker, along with some added ingredients makes the BEST fishspread. We caught a bunch of amberjack - its my favorite for spread. I'll pass along the recipe if anyone wishes to try. It's a bit spicier than most, with the flavors developing sequentially in your mouth. It's different than the more traditional, restaurant-style you get around here in the Tampa Bay area (bit mushy and pretty one-dimensional), I'll post if there's any interest.
Hope it helps - ask about your son about the cleaning and bleeding steps - that's where you will likely see the difference.
By the waY, I always soak catfish in milk or buttermilk before frying it, and it does make the flavor milder. Perhaps Tom on the east coast or Smoked Mullet (NW FL - cedar key) can add some wisdom?
I'd love to see all of those recipes you mentioned.. and thanks for the other hints.
I believe we removed the blood meat.. but, can't remember. The pieces I'm doing now have no blood meat but, I don't know if they were bled immediately. I'll ask him later.
Sometimes fish gets strong there ant no doubt about it. Dont care how fresh it is! Here is a little tric I was tought many years ago. And it Works with all the fish I've tried it with. Believe it or not it evan makes small amount of freezer burn dissapear? soak it in a mixture of very cold milk and bakeing soda ,thats it.I never got the exact amounts but I use just enough milk to cover and a tbs of soda for about an hr
2 TBS Hellman's mayonnaise, 1 tsp of Poupon mustard, juice from a half a lemon. 1 tsp tarragon or basil ½ tsp curry powder 10 drops of Tabasco sauce salt and pepper to taste
I use this recipe to lesson the flavor of Spanish Mackerel when we broil them and it works. We use Hellman's mayonnaise because it doesn't turn to oil as other brands do when used in this manner.
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