RE: NANFA-- Re: Mullet [not NA]

Crail, Todd (tcrail_at_northshores.com)
Mon, 23 Sep 2002 19:56:53 -0400

Once you heat or chill the flesh, you're playing a big game with whatever proteins are present at that time, especially if they're already dead and rigor has set in. If you cool them after rigor, you may enhance the situation for the remaining amount of enzymes to loosen up and reuptake some of the lactic acid... Heating it is always bad because it will denature any enzymes as well as the proteins in the muscle matrix and that makes for that rubbery feeling tissue, and you're pretty much going to get what you got right there.

However, I have found that by cleaning while just recently dead or while still alive and putting the meat in freezer bag, emmersed in water and quick freezing them will allow the meat to stay mostly tender for about a year. I'm not really sure why this works so well, we didn't really cover that in Biochem heeheehee. My prof was disturbed enough when I blurted out "OH! So that's what makes improperly handled fish taste so fishy!?" :)

Todd
-----Original Message-----
From: B.G. Granier
Sent: Mon 9/23/2002 5:24 PM
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Cc:
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Re: Mullet [not NA]


Todd,

I have witnessed the same phenomenon<sp? with the detested Bowfin, Amia
calva fish. If the fish is cleaned while freshly caught, not having been
rinsed in cold water, much less "iced", it is very palatable when flash
fried in very hot oil...........

Even better, is to clean the fish while it is still alive and then pat dry
with a paper towel.............

If even iced, or worse frozen, the flesh becomes cottony and is not very
good to eat.

BG
----- Original Message -----
From: "Crail, Todd" <tcrail_at_northshores.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 4:15 PM
Subject: RE: NANFA-- Re: Mullet [not NA]


> What I always do is bore people who "don't like fish" with a dissertation
on the ill tastes of left over Lactic Acid and Adenosine Diphosphate from
the rigor processes... Especially in piscovores who's muscles are designed
to make fast bursts of anaerobic activity and as you said, get drug around
all day in a marathon of sorts and really building up the lactic acid in the
muscles. All the biochem usually quickly convinces them that if they'll at
least try my fish, I'll shut up :) And then we have new champions of eating
fresh fish as an outcome.
>
> I agree. Pike are darned tasty out cold cold water and straight from the
line to the board to the grill/oven/pan. People seem to whine about
"hammerhandles" but oh man... Their Y bones zip out the easiest, the bones
that are left cook out and that meat is so so so so tasty. Over 28" should
just go back in the water ;)
>
> Todd
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: EELReprah_at_aol.com
> Sent: Mon 9/23/2002 4:09 PM
> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: NANFA-- Re: Mullet [not NA]
>
>
>
> All fish, but oily ones even more importantly, must be kept for a very
short
> time and with refrigeration after cleaning in order for the strong taste
to
> be palatable. Most people who DO NOT LIKE fish, have never eaten truly
fresh
> fish. Any fish will be better if fresh, but some are very much better when
> fresh. My favorite fish is northern pike if they are caught within a half
> hour of dinner time. My least favorite fish to eat is a northern pike that
> has been dragged around on a stringer all day before cleaning. The longer
> they are kept, before cleaning, cooking and eating the "fishier" they
taste.
> Bluefish are similar in that regard.
>
> [demime 0.99d.1 removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which
had a name of winmail.dat]
--
> /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
> / Association"
> / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
Association
> / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
> / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
> / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
> / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
> / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page,
http://www.nanfa.org
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org

[demime 0.99d.1 removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which had a name of winmail.dat]
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org