Correct way of bleeding a fish?

[Ready_fire_aim]

I’m liking this thread lol… a bunch of people have mentioned the salt water soak method. I do believe this draws out any blood that is hanging around in the fillets. Therefore removing the need to “bleed” the fish. I did this method for several years. 24-48hr soak the fillets in mild salt water solution.

Although I will say, just recently I have been experimenting with only soaking them for a couple of hours. Then either using or freezing. I am becoming convinced that the prolonged soaks do more damage than good. It does not take very long in the salt brine to draw out the blood. Too long and you’re just making the fillets waterlogged. My opinion anyway…

Which leads me to one more reason why I like to bleed fish. I do not want a bunch of blood around the spine that gets all over the fillets. I’m not trying to soak them forever. I want them as clean as possible from the moment the fillet knife touches the carcass.

Again y’all… there is really no right or wrong way. Regardless of what method you do, you will have a nice fish fry.

 

[Darth-Vang]

Sheepshead/drum are just fine to eat fried. White meat. Especially small ones like what you have there.

I’ve cooked plenty of them in the mix with whitebass/crappie and no one complains about the drum

Use that bluegill as cut bait for your next catfishing session

So my dad took the sheepshead last weekend. He said he boiled it, he said the flesh was rough I think the boiling it is the ‘wrong’ way to eat a sheepshead? I imagine frying it thoroughly would make it fine to eat it.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

So my dad took the sheepshead last weekend. He said he boiled it, he said the flesh was rough I think the boiling it is the ‘wrong’ way to eat a sheepshead? I imagine frying it thoroughly would make it fine to eat it.

Ohhhh he probably read about it online. For some reason there is a common thing where people call sheepshead/drum “poor mans lobster” and they boil it similar to lobster. I think the only way it would be good boiled is if the water was heavily seasoned, and there was a bold flavored dipping sauce too lol

But I’ve seriously ate more than a handful of ‘em, and they’ve been fine fried.

Did he say what made it rough? In my experience about the only thing that makes fish bad is when they taste like muddy lake water.

I find fish of many species taste better when caught from cold clean water in early spring vs hot murky drought ridden late summer water.

Heck, I’ve ran into crappie that tasted like mud and big catfish that were perfectly clean tasting. Lots of variables involved in what makes fish more palatable

 

[Darth-Vang]

Ohhhh he probably read about it online. For some reason there is a common thing where people call sheepshead/drum “poor mans lobster” and they boil it similar to lobster. I think the only way it would be good boiled is if the water was heavily seasoned, and there was a bold flavored dipping sauce too lol

But I’ve seriously ate more than a handful of ‘em, and they’ve been fine fried.

Did he say what made it rough? In my experience about the only thing that makes fish bad is when they taste like muddy lake water.

I find fish of many species taste better when caught from cold clean water in early spring vs hot murky drought ridden late summer water.

Heck, I’ve ran into crappie that tasted like mud and big catfish that were perfectly clean tasting. Lots of variables involved in what makes fish more palatable

He didn't say what makes it rough. But definitely not boiling it if I catch it next time. lol