Yeah I try to get all fish into salt ice ASAP or at least salt water cooled by ice bottles
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Yeah I try to get all fish into salt ice ASAP or at least salt water cooled by ice bottles
I just checked in the article I read (NZ fishing news April 2021) they were ageing fish for long periods up to two weeks. Has anyone tried this extended ageing? They mentioned using salt blocks in the fridge to enhance the dehydration process. I was amazed they aged fish for so long. They said top fish to age were groper trumpeter and kahawai. Less oily fish like blue cod were best aged for shorter periods.
Fridge, or at least my fridge is a very drying environment (anti-frost?). I've just done 24 hours so far, but if I'm going to make sushi/sashimi, I'll hang skinless fillets in the same way. Obviously, fillets dry out a lot quicker. A little too dry at the thin edges, but no drama.
This was kahawai done about 10 days
Attachment 195164
im not so keen on aging kahawai but a big slab of bluefin in the fridge is beaut to calve off slices like a cooked roast for up to a couple of weeks
we bucket salt our bait and it over time gets all sorts added to it and is affectionately known as mongrel mix
works a treat on the set line and really lowers the costs of bait
but anything that reminds me of that (and its a good % kahi) is not a good smell association
bluefin slabs dont seem in the fridge to change much if any during the week + its in the fridge
Last ones I caught, bled them straight away, filleted and pan fried in butter with salt and pepper. They weren’t to bad for bait fish:D
Do you guys like hot pot? I tried once in AKL, that day I caught a load of Kahawai, big sized. I used goat meat to make soup first as shown in picture, and sliced kahawai into piece for hot pot. The result was fairly good, goat smell took away kahawai `s and kahawai `s smell make goat smell not that strong anymore.
Attachment 195219
I scale and take the fillets off without bleeding the fish. Pat the fillets dry, and put in a container with agricultural salt. I leave it in the fridge covered in salt for 2 days, then vacuum pack and freeze.
Makes great bait for the longline, as it stays on the hooks very well. Happy to go to the effort to turn Kahawai into Snapper and Gurnard.
Try it in a Thai Curry. My fav is Asian Home Gourmet "Thai Green curry" 1 packet of sauce, 1 tin of coconut milk, slivers of carrots, beans, peas, baby corn, 1 sliced onion, prawns and cubed Kahawai
Mostly smoke kahawai or fry in pan fresh
My youngest boy (8) wants me to cut them up for sashimi as soon as they come out of the water he absolutely loves it with a bit of soy
Main thing is to bleed them and cut the red off the meat. When you skin the fillet, leave some meat on the skin, because it's mostly all red stuff. It's nice as made as raw fish ( lemon juice, onions, spring onion, chilli, tomatoes, cucumber etc). Or else we have it smoked and used in fish pie. Or just however we have our snapper, battered or crumbed 👍 niiice.
I do similar but give it a samoan twist marinate in lemon juice and onion overnight - add coconut cream and chopped spring onion really good or fresh fillets make a goa style indian curry leave fillets whole and put into curry 10mins before serving so just enough time to cook thru really nice both ways very underrated fish
Yea I forgot the main ingredient -kara coconut cream ! Haha. Haven't heard of the curry though, might give that a go
Has anyone tried bottling it ? One point or tip I was given was to hang the marinaded fillets out in a breeze overnight to dry them down a bit before smoking. Havent tried it yet but I am sure that will be good advice because a lot of moisture comes out of them
When smoking any fish I leave the fillets uncovered in the fridge overnight, same idea as hanging in the breeze. Never get that jelly that forms when the excess liquid cools down after smoking.
that Kahawai smell will be alot less if you keep the outside fish slime juice off the meat and remove the lateral line meat which is the dark stuff
if bled well and cared for properly it makes fantastic "Poke"
I follow Action bronsons recipe loosely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGqoMTER7Jw
yes chinese hot pot not something most rural kiwis will have ever had - but in good restaurant really good - large pot of hot stock is put on table and normally heated with a burner of some kind - all sorts of food is put out on table - various meats finely sliced - sea food and sliced veges noodles etc - one puts some into the simmering stock and then after a few minutes it is taken out and eaten - diners have their own plates etc - at a good restaurant and quality stock really really good - flavor builds as night goes on - and can be done at home- totally recommend - most good chinese restaurants will serve it but may not be on menu in english -not many kiwis know what it is or how good it can be -
Bait👍
smoked a few fillets the other day...came out moister than would have liked as was impatient and didnt want to leave it any longer before cooking it...good tucker... look forward to pulling some out and getting Mrs to make me fish pie...
yum when we were culling we got 3 months food in one hit - so 3 months in week of and 3 months again - we got tinned kahawai in a white sauce in oval cans - we made a fish pie with mashed potato on top - bloody good - made a real change from venison every night - well when wild pork was not on menu
The French have a recipe for smoked fish, called "brandade" - the English often use salted cod in their version of this dish, but I steer clear of salted fish. I've made this with caught and smoked kahawai. It's very moreish.