# Soaking Fish Fillets in Salt Water



## icebucketjohn

How much salt do you use?

How long do you let them soak?

Finally, what's the purpose of soaking fillets in salt water?


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## keith_r

i brine fish before smoking.. if i hot smoke, i only brine for a couple hours, cold smoking and i brine at least 24 hours
1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup sugar (i use brown sugar with stronger tasting fish) to one gallon water
i haven't used a brine when frying/baking, but i suppose it wouldn't hurt, just go easier on seasoning


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## huntindoggie22

I soak mine in milk. Reduces the strong taste greatly. 


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## Gottagofishn

I never soak.... Clean, rinse, vacuum pack, thaw, eat......Mmmmmmmmmmm


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## 9Left

From my experience..people use to do that(some still do) in order to draw out the remaining blood from the fillet..makes for a cleaner,better tasting fillet. A lotta guy now practice "bleeding" the fish after catching it and then throwing it in the cooler. They cut the fish's throat right under the gills, hold head down for a few minutes, letting it bleed, this pretty much eliminates the need for saltwater soaking later. Either way works good really, different fisherman have different methods


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## Hook N Book

I use salt to thaw and firm the fillets. Never use iodized...only kosher or sea salt. That's what works best for me. Rise the fillets under cold water to remove excess salt and you're good to go.


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## Shaun69007

I just soak mine in ice water and keep rotating about every half hour with fresh ice water until the water is clean


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## jennis9

baking soda works too


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## hang_loose

9Left said:


> From my experience..people use to do that(some still do) in order to draw out the remaining blood from the fillet..makes for a cleaner,better tasting fillet. A lotta guy now practice "bleeding" the fish after catching it and then throwing it in the cooler. They cut the fish's throat right under the gills, hold head down for a few minutes, letting it bleed, this pretty much eliminates the need for saltwater soaking later. Either way works good really, different fisherman have different methods


I like that method also but jennis9, could you explain the baking soda method? I'm always trying to learn new ways!


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## Intimidator

If you look on the EnterWeb, this, like everything else, has 2 sides...one side believes the smells and taste, if any, will go away on their own. Others like myself, aren't taking chances!
Their are 2 types of solutions to accomplish the same goal....Base and Acidic.
IMHO, these solutions serve multiple tasks, drawing blood, KILLING BACTERIA, breaking down connective tissue, and firming the meat, and removing smells or unwanted tastes.
The best base solution is salt and milk, you can mix 1/2 cup salt in 2 or more cups of milk to cover the fish, soak overnight, rinse well in the morning and cook or freeze!

Acidic solutions can be 1 cup lemon or lime juice to 1/2 gallon water, or 1 cup apple cider vinegar to 2 gal water, or soak fish in wine...then rinse, cook, or freeze!

If I'm going to eat the fish right away, I soak mine in a glass bowl, fill the bottom with sea salt, fill with water, and soak overnight, then rinse in the morning, soak in 2 eggs and milk (1/2&1/2), then roll in corn meal and Old Bay, and fry in Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil.
If I'm freezing, I soak in Salt/Milk, Rinse well, and vacuum seal. Then follow cooking procedures!


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## Gottagofishn

I gotta say.... I fish a fair amount, and to me one of life's little pleasures is coming home cleaning the fish and either broiling or frying as soon as possible prior to freezing. (Fresh fish!!!!). If any of the above mentioned procedures makes it taste better (hard to imagine better)........... well, I have to give it a try.


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## rminerd

My fillets go right from the cutting board to the fryer


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## ress

I have always cleaned and rinsed the fillets until the blood is gone, then use a good freezer bag. Put enough in each bag for a meal and mark the amount of fillets and type of fish. I then fill the bag with tap water and stand it up in the freezer. I have had Crappie six months later that were fine. Walleye the same, Bluegill seem to loose something, not sure only did those once.


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## senoy

For me, the soaking issue is counter-productive. It destroys the flavor. If you want a random piece of whitefish, then go to the store and grab some pollock--it's cheaper and better for your local fishery. Pollock is a fine extremely cheap fish that is extremely mild and gives you a generic fish texture with little strong taste.

If you have to soak it to 'remove the fishy taste' then why are you eating fish in the first place? Buy a steak if you don't like the taste of fish. There's nothing inherently wrong in admitting that you just don't care for fresh fish all that much and prefer Long John Silver's. If you have to actually let it partially decompose and soak it in whatever concoctions that you come up with to hide the taste, it's perfectly fine to just throw in the towel and go to LJS. I'm one of those that kills it, fillets it and fries it all within the space of five minutes. 

I am being a bit facetious, you can do what you want, but honestly, the difference between random 'whitefish' you find in the store for 1.99 a pound and a gamefish that you've had sitting sopping in a bowl of salty milk or water for the last day is negligible. You've taken a very valuable piece of meat and turned it into a very cheap piece of meat. It's like cooking a T-Bone steak well done. You've destroyed the reason it's valuable. If you like a steak well done, that's fine, don't buy a T-bone, buy a top round. If you like a fish that is very mild in taste, don't kill a walleye/crappie/striped bass, buy a pollock.


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## steelhead1

icebucketjohn said:


> How much salt do use?
> 
> How long do you let them soak?
> 
> Finally, what's the purpose of soaking fillets in salt water?


Always done this since I was a kid. Soak them for a day or so in water with a few shakes of salt. Freeze if not going to be fried.

Why? Because the old guy I fished with with small who was born in Alabama in 1892 said to 

Matter of fact frying up a mess tonight!


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## Intimidator

senoy said:


> For me, the soaking issue is counter-productive. It destroys the flavor. If you want a random piece of whitefish, then go to the store and grab some pollock--it's cheaper and better for your local fishery. Pollock is a fine extremely cheap fish that is extremely mild and gives you a generic fish texture with little strong taste.
> 
> If you have to soak it to 'remove the fishy taste' then why are you eating fish in the first place? Buy a steak if you don't like the taste of fish. There's nothing inherently wrong in admitting that you just don't care for fresh fish all that much and prefer Long John Silver's. If you have to actually let it partially decompose and soak it in whatever concoctions that you come up with to hide the taste, it's perfectly fine to just throw in the towel and go to LJS. I'm one of those that kills it, fillets it and fries it all within the space of five minutes.
> 
> I am being a bit facetious, you can do what you want, but honestly, the difference between random 'whitefish' you find in the store for 1.99 a pound and a gamefish that you've had sitting sopping in a bowl of salty milk or water for the last day is negligible. You've taken a very valuable piece of meat and turned it into a very cheap piece of meat. It's like cooking a T-Bone steak well done. You've destroyed the reason it's valuable. If you like a steak well done, that's fine, don't buy a T-bone, buy a top round. If you like a fish that is very mild in taste, don't kill a walleye/crappie/striped bass, buy a pollock.


Now,since we are being fact-tious, unless you are eating the fish raw, you are changing the taste to suit your need, it is going to take on the taste of the batter or the oil...I cook steaks on the grill, and use no sauce!


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## senoy

Intimidator said:


> Now,since we are being fact-tious, unless you are eating the fish raw, you are changing the taste to suit your need, it is going to take on the taste of the batter or the oil...I cook steaks on the grill, and use no sauce!


Actually, I agree with you. I especially love Hybrid Striped bass, just gutted like you would a trout with the skin still on and thrown straight on the grill. Make a fruit salsa for the side and that's a good meal. My wife hates it though, she hates to eat fish with the head still on.


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## ress

I wonder,, does this idea of soaking fish in milk or salt water come from the days of polluted water? Maybe from 60's?


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## 9Left

ress said:


> I wonder,, does this idea of soaking fish in milk or salt water come from the days of polluted water? Maybe from 60's?




..not sure about that.interesting question though....but the salt water soak is just plain science , water follows salt, just like putting a hot dog in a pot of water, the hot dog swells up because its full of salt and draws in the water..the salt in the bowl draws the fluid(blood) out of the fish....making a cleaner fillet...

Senoy...its not so much the "fishy" taste that's removed in this process...its the blood...a bloody fillet tastes like crap.


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## senoy

Marinading for any more than an hour on any meat is done to hide its poor quality. With beef and lamb, it's usually done to tenderize a poorer cut of meat. With fish, you're usually attempting to get rid of early decomposition. There are right ways to do marinades, usually when you're attempting to add a flavor layer onto the plate or a quick brine to trap moisture. For instance, marinating salmon or trout for an hour in a lime juice and garlic mixture. I like crappie baked in a mango marinade, but the point of the marinade should be to add complimentary flavors to the meat rather than club the meat to death by turning it into a mushy pile of fish soup.

My guess is that soaking comes from when people bought fish off of a boat or at a fish market. Many times, especially before the advent of refrigeration, the fish would already be in early stages of decomposition. That 'fishy smell' that you smell at the sea is dead fish. You can soak a slightly older fish to help cover up that early rot. You can also use it if your fish has been kept too long in the freezer or frozen improperly. In both of those cases, you're attempting to hide the fact that your meat is low quality and soaking it in water or milk is about all you can do about it. If you're catching fish fresh, keeping them alive as long as possible and/or icing them immediately you are starting with a good piece of meat. Soaking it destroys the texture and flavor. You're treating quality fish like low quality fish. There's nothing inherently wrong about it, but it's a waste of a good fish.

I have found with a lot of people that soak, that they just don't like fish. They may like extremely mild fish like you get in frozen fishsticks, but they don't care for actual fresh fish, so they attempt to kill the flavor. It's like someone that doesn't actually care for coffee so they dump six teaspoons of sugar in it. When you've beaten the flavor of something that to death, it's time to just throw in the towel and admit that you don't like it.


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## saugmon

I used to soak my saugeye filets in a salty brine until my latest vacuum sealer.This vac sealer sucks a lot of salt into the filets and they're really salty when I use my fry krisp batter..Now I use a touch of salt.

Now on my white bass filets,salty as possible.

Bleeding the saugeye has improved the taste quality. Started last summer and I'll continue to do it. I'll take a pair of snips,snip most of their gills and slap em in the livewell. 20 mins later,I'll throw them in the cooler.Nice cold white filets and a bloodfree cleaning table!


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## BigDaddy300

I don't keep a lot of fish but when I do I use the cold water and salt bath. I only do this at the cleaning table to help with removing any remaining blood. It works well. 

lund 1775 pro v se


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## Hatchetman

senoy said:


> Marinading for any more than an hour on any meat is done to hide its poor quality. With beef and lamb, it's usually done to tenderize a poorer cut of meat. With fish, you're usually attempting to get rid of early decomposition. There are right ways to do marinades, usually when you're attempting to add a flavor layer onto the plate or a quick brine to trap moisture. For instance, marinating salmon or trout for an hour in a lime juice and garlic mixture. I like crappie baked in a mango marinade, but the point of the marinade should be to add complimentary flavors to the meat rather than club the meat to death by turning it into a mushy pile of fish soup.
> 
> My guess is that soaking comes from when people bought fish off of a boat or at a fish market. Many times, especially before the advent of refrigeration, the fish would already be in early stages of decomposition. That 'fishy smell' that you smell at the sea is dead fish. You can soak a slightly older fish to help cover up that early rot. You can also use it if your fish has been kept too long in the freezer or frozen improperly. In both of those cases, you're attempting to hide the fact that your meat is low quality and soaking it in water or milk is about all you can do about it. If you're catching fish fresh, keeping them alive as long as possible and/or icing them immediately you are starting with a good piece of meat. Soaking it destroys the texture and flavor. You're treating quality fish like low quality fish. There's nothing inherently wrong about it, but it's a waste of a good fish.
> 
> I have found with a lot of people that soak, that they just don't like fish. They may like extremely mild fish like you get in frozen fishsticks, but they don't care for actual fresh fish, so they attempt to kill the flavor. It's like someone that doesn't actually care for coffee so they dump six teaspoons of sugar in it. When you've beaten the flavor of something that to death, it's time to just throw in the towel and admit that you don't like it.


You are telling me that I don't like the taste of fresh fish because I soak the fillets in salt water over night in the fridge to remove what blood is left in them? You soak yours in lime juice and garlic or a mango marinade and you say I don't like the taste of fish???? Guess I should just throw some steak sauce on my fillets the next to help add a "complimentary" flavor


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## 9Left

Hatchetman said:


> You are telling me that I don't like the taste of fresh fish because I soak the fillets in salt water over night in the fridge to remove what blood is left in them? You soak yours in lime juice and garlic or a mango marinade and you say I don't like the taste of fish???? Guess I should just throw some steak sauce on my fillets the next to help add a "complimentary" flavor


BWWAAAHAAHAA!!!! I was thinkin the same thing!!! That post confused the crap outta me too! If you like mango so much, just eat one on the side with your fish dinner.. I'm still laughing about that ...


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## jennis9

Just add a little baking soda to the rinse water while you're doing your filets. No overnight soak. 

we rinse until the filets are bright white - never had fishy filets. the blood is what taints the meat.


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## Hetfieldinn

Never felt the need to soak my fish fillets in anything. After cleaning, I put them in a large pot, and stir the water back and forth with my hand four or five times. The first few 'washes' produce a slurry that is pretty gross looking. Other than that, I don't feel they need anything else, and I've never had a bad bite of fish that I prepared.


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## senoy

The difference is the amount of time spent in the marinade. Fish's flavor primarily comes from oils distributed throughout the muscle tissue. A short marinade allows flavors to seep into outer layer of the meat while leaving the middle unmolested. A longer marinade breaks down the tissue and removes the oils from the meat. Milk being slightly acidic actually denatures the proteins in the fish and changes its composition. You're essentially 'de-flavoring' it. 

Brining is a little different since it doesn't actually remove anything at all. It is used to add water to the fish via osmosis. What happens though is that eventually, the salt begins to denature the proteins as well and you end up with slop.


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## 9Left

senoy said:


> The difference is the amount of time spent in the marinade. Fish's flavor primarily comes from oils distributed throughout the muscle tissue. A short marinade allows flavors to seep into outer layer of the meat while leaving the middle unmolested. A longer marinade breaks down the tissue and removes the oils from the meat. Milk being slightly acidic actually denatures the proteins in the fish and changes its composition. You're essentially 'de-flavoring' it.
> 
> Brining is a little different since it doesn't actually remove anything at all. It is used to add water to the fish via osmosis. What happens though is that eventually, the salt begins to denature the proteins as well and you end up with slop.


..ok..but now im just laughing at the fact you used the word "unmolested' while describing fish prep..lol... ; )


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## glasseyes

I really don't care how someone else likes to eat their fish I know how I like it and my wife and that's what matters to me. 
I do soak it over night in a light sea salt water, I rinse them off , pat dry as I can then lay on wax paper on a cookie sheet to partial freeze . Then they go into the vacuum sealer. Now the best way is to eat fresh and not freeze but I always have to put some away. I will still soak over night in the salt water then fry the next day. To me no matter how they are frozen they never taste as good as being fresh and I have frozen them every which way you can. Probably the closest Ive had to fresh after frozen was the way I described above. But no matter, I still soak in the salt water to get the blood out.


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## steelhead1

Mine were horrible after soaking in salt water for two days!

*burp*


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## Intimidator

steelhead1 said:


> View attachment 89655
> 
> 
> Mine were horrible after soaking in salt water for two days!
> 
> *burp*
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Dude...you had to ruin my dinner...now I don't even want the crap I fixed....yummy looking fish!
Guess I'll be having some ocean Walleye and Crappie this weekend!


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## hang_loose

jennis9 said:


> Just add a little baking soda to the rinse water while you're doing your filets. No overnight soak.
> 
> we rinse until the filets are bright white - never had fishy filets. the blood is what taints the meat.


I might of missed your reply jennis9, but what does the baking soda do? And approx. how much? Is it like an "oder eater"?


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## rustyfish

Who would want to get ride of the taste of fish? 

When I worked with farm rasied fish people always said "this is so good, it doesnt even taste like shrimp"  Well I would stick to chicken if I were you because that stuff was $12 pound live/whole. It better taste like shrimp for that price.

Cut it up, rinse it off, fry it up.


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## Workdog

rustyfish said:


> Who would want to get ride of the taste of fish?
> 
> When I worked with farm rasied fish people always said "this is so good, it doesnt even taste like shrimp"  Well I would stick to chicken if I were you because that stuff was $12 pound live/whole. It better taste like shrimp for that price.
> 
> Cut it up, rinse it off, fry it up.


^^^^This. But, everyone has their own taste regarding level of fishyness. 
I have a friend with a Philippino wife, and one with a Korean wife. They prepare Stripers and all other fish by fileting then patting the filets down with a paper towel. If you know big Stripers...they bleed...a lot. They say tapwater ruins the taste of the fish (chlorine and other additives in tapwater). I've seen the Korean wife throw in the trash, six flounder filets that were rinsed. They even eat the layer of red meat on the Stripers that can be over a quarter inch thick. Their reply: "It's FISH...it's supposed to taste like FISH! 

Personally, I filet my fish, with my crew helping out. If you bleed your fish on the boat you have less blood on the table afterwards. We drop the filets into containers with water, ice, and some lemon juice added. Then, throw those containers in the fridge while we have some cool beverages. After the crew departs, and at a convenient time, up to a few hours later, I bag my filets, after cutting out any remaining red meat, and gently squeeze the filets, which bring any remaining blood up to the surface to be rinsed away. The bags are burped of air and put in the freezer. No way I'm going to leave 10-20lbs plus of filets sitting in the fridge for two days.


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## buckeyebowman

About the last thing I worry about with fresh caught fish, especially walleye and crappie, is a fishy taste! Still, I do soak in water with a little Kosher or sea salt in the refirgerator. I also like the idea of a little lemon juice. Especially when it's getting into late Spring, early Summer, and the water is starting to warm a little. It just firms up the filets. I've never had filets turn into "mush", even after 24 hours. 

What turns me off of any fish is a pronounced fishy smell. I'm reminded of the time, back in the day, when I drove a beer truck and delivered to a certain seafood market in Warren, OH. As soon as I got inside the funk would about knock me to my knees! Give me fresh caught anytime!


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## TheStinger

I agree with Senoy and Rustyfish. There are a lot of people that try to get rid of the flavor of fish, trying to turn it into flavorless whitefish. There are a lot of people that try to do the same thing with venison and wild turkey. " With the six step recipe you can't even tell it's wild game." Fact is they don't really like it.


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## snake69

Have done this for yrs....fillet the fish, put them in a cooler with plenty of water and *lots of ice*...set for 2-3 hrs and repeat. After about the 2nd time, drain, put in bag and fill with water....burp out air and freeze. Always tastes fresh to me when it's time to eat. Give a lot away and NEVER recall _ANY_ complaints. My story and I'll stick to it!


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## slipsinker

I always smell it first guys! just like u know . I always use lemon juice, with very cold water, mix , 10 mins , rinse cold water, fresh as SPRING BREEZE!


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## yonderfishin

Soak salt water fish in salt water. Soak fresh water fish in toilet water


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## slipsinker

that's what happens when youre taste leaves you, salty!


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## Hatchetman

snake69 said:


> Have done this for yrs....fillet the fish, put them in a cooler with plenty of water and *lots of ice*...set for 2-3 hrs and repeat. After about the 2nd time, drain, put in bag and fill with water....burp out air and freeze. Always tastes fresh to me when it's time to eat. Give a lot away and NEVER recall _ANY_ complaints. My story and I'll stick to it!


Who you kiddin snake? You don't catch enough to eat let alone give em away . How you doin buddy? Long time no see....


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## EnonEye

KISS - stick to the white meat fish, perch, eyes, crappie and all you need do is keep cool after catching (livewell in spring and fall, ice cooler in summer), throw them in the fridge overnight, fillet them the next day, rinse and pack em or eat em. Now if you're going to eat oily fish like cats, trout, salmon, white bass, ANY BASS (yuck) then you're going to have to do some fancy fixin of some sort to get rid of that nasty oil fishy taste and I don't think just soaking in a salt solution is gonna do it for you. Eat the white meat fish, take care of them after catching, and fish for the others just catch n release. I think you'll enjoy eating fish more often


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## pkent

for the one's that do soak some of there fish, try 7up or sprite soda.the lemon lime works well.


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## rod bender bob

I can never understand why some people think they know the only way to prepare fish and if someone else does it differently they have to tell them how wrong they are and how they should do it lol I'll prepare and eat fish any damn way I want to and don't care who likes it or doesn't !


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## jennis9

hang_loose said:


> I might of missed your reply jennis9, but what does the baking soda do? And approx. how much? Is it like an "oder eater"?


Just a sprinkle, it just draws out the blood... I don't think it's an odor eater, there's no odor in fresh fish. Most of the time we just rinse, rinse and rinse more to get those filets bright. But this is a good tip if you need it. Some guys haul their catch home and they sit in a cooler for a while before they can clean.


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## hang_loose

jennis9, thanks. Might try your method (after ice fishing & before the next snow-storm hits) this evening.


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## ballast

I soak fish in salt water because that's what I've seen my dad do for thirty years, I like my fish to not taste like fish, my sisters husband from England loves that nasty swamp taste... But I think they eat carp too?


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## hang_loose

ballast, I've always soaked my fish in salt water too. With frog legs, I put a little lemon juice in. Then rinse before eating of freezing. Baking soda has me a little curious though. I can't see what it would hurt but it may help. I'm not a big fan of "fishy tasting fish" either.

If we catch anything icefishing today, I'm going to "road test" the baking soda theory!


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## ballast

We brought a big funky channel cat home Saturday from Milton, he's soaking as we speak I'll hit um with the soda when I get home. Definitely some red meat on one of the fillets too. I was going to cut it off before I cooked it but, maybe I'll just mark it and see if baking soda works.


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## RichsFishin

Thought my dad always soaked his in salt water so they would swell up and look bigger. LOL.....Rich


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## hang_loose

Just looked and we don't have any baking soda..........Heading to Krogers.


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## ballast

I ask my girlfriend for baking soda, she gives it to me sees what I'm doing with it the yells, WHAT R U DOING!!YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN IT!! after I did it, I would have liked to have taken them out of the water and applied it directly to the red meat on the fillets. I might do that when I get off tonight. If it works it will really change the way I look at certain fish. But I am skeptical.


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## polebender

ballast said:


> I ask my girlfriend for baking soda, she gives it to me sees what I'm doing with it the yells, WHAT R U DOING!!YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN IT!! after I did it, I would have liked to have taken them out of the water and applied it directly to the red meat on the fillets. I might do that when I get off tonight. If it works it will really change the way I look at certain fish. But I am skeptical.


I heard about the baking soda last year. I caught some small carp, so I thought I'd give the baking soda a try. I filleted the fish, covered them with the baking soda and let set overnight. The next day I cleaned them up and they looked really good. It took the red out, took the odor out. I had a fish fry the following weekend with family and friends, cut the fish in chunks, deep fried them and told everyone it was walleye. After we ate everyone asked where I caught the walleye because they tasted like crap.

Moral of this story is baking soda can take the red out, mask the odor, but it can't take the CRAP out of CARP!


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## TheStinger

Can't take the crap out of carp. You make me laugh! Thanks.


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## Intimidator

polebender said:


> I heard about the baking soda last year. I caught some small carp, so I thought I'd give the baking soda a try. I filleted the fish, covered them with the baking soda and let set overnight. The next day I cleaned them up and they looked really good. It took the red out, took the odor out. I had a fish fry the following weekend with family and friends, cut the fish in chunks, deep fried them and told everyone it was walleye. After we ate everyone asked where I caught the walleye because they tasted like crap.
> 
> Moral of this story is baking soda can take the red out, mask the odor, but it can't take the CRAP out of CARP!


lol


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## One guy and a boat

Just an FYI. This thread is 6 years old.

Kip


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## FlyFishRich

It's a new guy Kip don't reel in his BS....


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## One guy and a boat

FlyFishRich said:


> It's a new guy Kip don't reel in his BS....


Yeah I was suspicious, but was giving him the benefit. I see his post is gone, alot of spammers lately.

Kip


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## $diesel$

You sound like chef, to me, senoy. Talking about layers of flavors and marinading to add complimentary flavors.
No diss intended to you, but i like things simple. And i see no problem with salt water soaking over night. I don't believe it damages the flavor that much.
When i get home after a day of fishing and the usual hour to hour and a half drive, the last thing i want to do is clean fish and make up a fancy mango marinade.
By far, bleeding is the best way to remove blood from your fish, (as i do) and one has little clean up at home. After bleeding, i basically rinse, dry and vacuum seal.
Again, i'm not pick'n on ya, i'm just old now and don't want to go thru the work your doing.
And with walleye and panfish, is pretty hard to ruin their excellent flavor, IMHO.


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## Mattiba

icebucketjohn said:


> How much salt do use?
> 
> How long do you let them soak?
> 
> Finally, what's the purpose of soaking fillets in salt water?


I usually bleed my fish but when I don’t I soak in salt water to remove blood from the fish. I just shake the salt shaker in a quart bag probably a half teaspoon and soak over night then rinse and freeze or eat. That’s just what I’ve always done but it probably doesn’t make much difference.


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## bustedrod

i dont use anything but clean fresh water on white flesh fish, soak for couple hours to clean then eat or freeze. i used to soak in salt , milk ect, but its old school .


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## Saugeyefisher

I use dish soap or Lysol wipes to clean my fillets 😂🙄🤪


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## floater99

Ive switched over to hand sanitizer ,I use to soak fillets in salt wtr now I rinse good until I get no bubbly foam and clear water


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## bobk

Saugeyefisher said:


> I use dish soap or Lysol wipes to clean my fillets 😂🙄🤪


Catch something besides carp and you can get rid of the dish soap.


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## TheKing

Saugeyefisher said:


> I use dish soap or Lysol wipes to clean my fillets 😂🙄🤪


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## TheKing

bobk said:


> Catch something besides carp and you can get rid of the dish soap.


My uncle taught me the hammer head technique for catfish. Did not know it was for carp also see ref . All I need is the tub. How to Clean and Fillet the Common Carp for a Tasty Meal


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## TheKing

I used to do that with all fish and small game until 2014 . Now a days, I just add tap water to cover the fillets and squeeze out all the air in the freezer bags.


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