What's the best method for removing fish slime?

[mgdguy]

You've got your steelhead or salmon, you fillet it and leave the skin on. What method do you use that gets all that slime off?

 

[Thuggin4Life]

I never worry about it since I fillet it off or if I don't I toss them right into a brine after a quick rinse. Before I discovered how to skin trout I would take a butter knife at a 90* angle to the skin and rub the slime/scales off working from tail to head(against the grane of the scales). I don't see why this wouldn't work on larger fish. Followed by a rinse.

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

run it under cold water ?

 

[mgdguy]

run it under cold water ?

Something doesn't sound right about cold running water removing a protective layer from a Winter Steelhead...

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

Okay ill let you know as soon as i catch one then

 

[FishSchooler]

You've got your steelhead or salmon, you fillet it and leave the skin on. What method do you use that gets all that slime off? :think:

The only way I can think of would to be to dry it entirely, which would make it disgusting.
Otherwise, I think it's impossible... unless you have an infinite amount of paper towels because they just get slimier and slimier.

 

[Troutski]

Warm water...

Warm water...

I would use warm water and do it before you cut into the fish. Clean, clean and then clean some more, try a cotton towel; once it gets nasty simply rinse it off... use it again...then cut. You won't believe the taste of the fish ... the protective "slime" is there for a reason. Not for the taste...

Chuck

 

[Raincatcher]

Maybe a coarse salt rub?

 

[mgdguy]

I would use warm water and do it before you cut into the fish. Clean, clean and then clean some more, try a cotton towel; once it gets nasty simply rinse it off... use it again...then cut. You won't believe the taste of the fish ... the protective "slime" is there for a reason. Not for the taste...

Chuck

Thanks Troutski, I'll try this method next time.

hopefully after this weekend

 

[Hawk]

My beloved Barb (especially) & i filleted many catfish & Striped Bass, trout, crappie,etc. We took off the skin & didn't have any slime problem. Deepfried the fillet chunks in batter. Used a sharp, flexble, thin bladed fillet knife between meat & skin. Barb could fillet like a PRO.

Bluegill, perch we would just scrap the scales off, gut, clean the insides, cut off heads, washed them...Fry em up.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Yeah I rinse with cold water. warm water IMO makes the meat get mushy easier. The butterknife would work on steelhead that are still whole. scraping the slime and scales off and the water helps wash it off and down the drain. work from the tail up. And like chuck said it makes all the difference in taste that why I always did this for trout. And a steelhead is just a big trout. Try it the butter knife does all the work.

 

[dudeone]

I scrape the scales and slime off after i bonk it and bleed it right at the river works good.

 

[trollin4trout]

Can't answer the slime question- but a buddy showed me how to remove scales with ease if you want to.

Use the pressure nozzle on your hose and simply lay the fish on the grass and spray "against the grain"- from tail forward- the scales just fly right off!

 

[tibbar]

You've got your steelhead or salmon, you fillet it and leave the skin on. What method do you use that gets all that slime off? :think:

The best i tried was ash rub before filleting or slicing, just wash the ashes off thoroughly after before filleting/slicing . it will remove the slime in a jippy, try it. sand rub too is effective and lastly coarse salt.

 

[jhop111]

White hotel/motel towels that accidentally make it home

 

[JackInTheBox]

Best way to remove fish slime and blood

Luke warm water
2-3 lemons/Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1-2 cups salt

Fill a sink or cooler with Luke warm water, add 1-2 cups salt and squeeze 2 lemons or the equivalent in lemon juice or apple cider vinegar into the water. Once that’s ready you go ahead and submerge the fish into the water. I prefer using lemons because I can kind of use the peels as a scouring pad after I have squeezed out the juice. Now that the fish is submerged you can start scrubbing.
Within seconds you’ll notice the acid from lemons or vinegar eating the slime and you being able to grip the fish much better.

DO NOT SOAK OR SCRUB FOR MORE THAN 5MINS OR THE ACID WILL START TO EAT AWAY AT THE FISH ITSELF LEAVING IT ROUGH.

Fish should be smooth once done. You can go ahead give it a few rinses afterwards.

Hope this helps.