You would probably never consider taking a fine rib steak, rinsing it in water, throwing it in a plastic bag and tossing it in the refrigerator for a few days and then expect it to taste good. No? Then why would you do it with your fish? Most fishermen do just that. And add to the fact that the rinse water probably came from a rubber hose basking in the sun. So, someone came up with the idea of using seawater to rinse your fish. After all, salt is a preservative & the flesh of a salt water fish will not absorb salt water. Do you have any idea how many organisms live in that water? Organism that would just love to make a cozy little home in your next meal. Yummy! So, here's a few tips that will help keep your fish (& you) in great shape.
#1) Once dockside, make your own salt water. A saltwater fish should never come in contact with fresh water (there are numerous reasons for this regarding bacteria and that the meat will soak up fresh water and it will make your filets or steaks mushy-unlike salt water). So take a generous handful of kosher salt and put it in a clean bucket (I used to keep some on the boat. Now that my boat is in my back yard, I keep a container at the fillet station.) Throw in some ice and fill the bucket halfway with cold water (if it's from the hose, make sure you let it run enough to drain out all the water, heat, bacteria and rubber taste that was laying in the hose before you turned it on.
#2) Keep your knife and station clean from guts and blood. Again, the idea here is to limit the bacteria which will make your fish mushy and taste strong.
#3) Once you fillet your fish, skin it immediately and toss the fillet in the salt & ice water. Do not do all the filets and then all the skinning unless you plan on keeping the filets in cold salt water in between every step.
OK, you have these perfect fish filets, now what...
If you intend to eat them the same day, just keep them cool (below 42 degrees F) and you will be alright. If you intend to eat them 1 to 3 days later, put the filets in a bowl filled with some salt (kosher, it has less taste) ice and 75/25 water & whole milk (the milk will help to draw out any blood). I have found that if you add ice every day, the submerged filets will keep up to 3 days with no ill affects. Another thing to consider is heat rises. So chose a shelf low in the refrigerator, or, top shelf in the back where the cold air enters the box. Fish that I don't intend to eat in the 0 to 3 day range, I freeze. I have a vacuum sealer, the kind they sell on TV & various stores on the Island. I give my fish a quick plunge in fresh ice water (to remove some salt and milk) and pat it dry with a paper towel. Then I put a clean dry paper towel in the bag and place the fish on top of the towel. Then I vacuum seal it. Make sure there is ample dry toweling between the end of the fish and the sealing end of the bag so that the towel will soak up any moisture that the vacuum process draws from the fish. If this moisture gets in the seal, it will not hold the vacuum for long-if at all. If it gets in the machine, it will stink like a New York City garbage truck on a hot August day (guess how I found that one out!) If you want, the milk is an option, but, on some fish, such as tuna & bluefish, it makes a difference. Let me know if you try any of this and your results. I'll bet that if you follow these procedures, you can get family who previously didn't care for fish to enjoy a good fish meal with you!

Good Fishing - Good Eating... Captain John
(cr) May 2002