DOING AN ARGUEMENT

[williamlayton]

My old buddy Bob Peterson paid homage to my physical condition yesterday and dropped by for coffee.
He had recently caught a blackfin tuna on an offshore jaunt. The subject turned too fishing. Now Bob is an old I-O-W-A Jarhead and I alluded as to what does a boy that thought oceans were tall tales know about fixin Blackfin Tuna?
He had said he soaked the Tuna in heavy saltwater overnight before putting fire under it.
I asked the reason for saltwater and he said growing up in I-O-W-A ----you know, where thay have cricks and not creeks----he always soaked game birds and game in saltwater to get out the gamey taste.
I said "what about milk or buttermilk" and the conversation took a whole pot of coffee too resolve.
Where you come from how do you prepare wild game?
Blessings

[Mikey]

William:  fresh off the hoof, fresh out of the pond or fresh out of the air.  I do not hang or marinate wild game, fish or fowl unless I'm making Ceviche (Asian style). 

Game meats are cooled for a couple of hours, maybe or until I get them onto the table for packaging and are not marinated to soak overnight but brushed with a marinate just prior to cooking.

Fish are cooked almost right then and there - gotta clean'm-up first but from 'pond-side' to the 'pan' is about as long as it takes, or from the Sea to the serving table.

Fowl - unless I intend to freeze it for later use it is skinned, cleaned and cooked in short order and consumed as soon as it is cooled enough to eat. 

Blackfin Tuna:  (1) catch the fish (2) dress it ocean side (that side of the boat nearest the spot where you caught it), (3) slice it into 3/4 inch steaks, (4) brush with olive oil (5) cook thoroughly over a open grill and (6) eat. 

Swordfish:  same as above.  Shark:  same as swordfish.  Red Snapper - best Communist fish out there although Sea Bass are pretty good.  Herring:  got to get it coming out of the pub when it is pickled.  Anchovies:  most often found near Italian foods.  Halibut can be marinated (brushed) with a mixture of Soy Sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice and ginger - grill the fish and eat.  jmtcw.

[Questor]

WilliamLayton:

Blackfin tuna don't have a gamey taste. It's naturally one of the most delicious foods unless it has been abused and not field dressed properly. If it was caught on any normal offshore boat it would have been killed and put on ice immediately. Now if this was a bonito instead of a blackfin, then that's different. It's got a strong flavor naturally and there is nothing you can do to change it.

So the answer to your friend is that the rules change depending on where you are. For fish in Iowa, it's usually gamey in summer when the "mud line" of fat that runs along the lateral line under the skin takes on a muddy flavor. This can be done by fileting the fish and then carefully slicing out  this length of dark red flesh with a good filet knife.

Most cultures have spices for this sort of thing because meat is a relatively rare thing in many places.

[BBF]

Buttermilk works for European born like myself.

[hunt-m-up]

He must have caught one too many bullheads or channel cats here in IA, and we don't usually catch them from cricks, but ponds and rivers.
I soak fish in saltwater to take some of the muddy taste out of them as well as removing the parts as Questor said. I'm not trying to take out any "fishy" taste as I would expect fish to taste like fish. We have always soaked shot up pheasants,quail,partridge, rabbits, and squirrels overnight in salt water to take the blood out of them before freezing or cooking. I have also soaked them in milk an hour or so prior to cooking.
Not sure I would be soaking a saltwater fish in saltwater, what's the point?

[Brett]

Seems to me a salt water fish has been soaking in salt water all it's life so I don't see how one more salt water bath would help.

Catch it, bleed it, dress it, ice it as soon as possible.

Please don't over cook it.  Growing up on Cape Cod I have some idea of what fish is supposed to taste like and I can tell you that most land lubbers over cook the heck out of their sea food.   Tuna, and Sward Fish steaks should be brazed on the outside and pink and moist on the inside.  Other fishes should be cooked until the flesh is white but not dry looking and flakes with a fork.  IMO blue fish should be used for chum lines or to bait lobster pots (lobster traps to you non Yankees) because no amount of soaking in anything will take the heavy fish taste out of it.           

[SM Bob]

My old buddy Bob Peterson paid homage to my physical condition yesterday and dropped by for coffee.
He had recently caught a blackfin tuna on an offshore jaunt. The subject turned too fishing. Now Bob is an old I-O-W-A Jarhead and I alluded as to what does a boy that thought oceans were tall tales know about fixin Blackfin Tuna?
He had said he soaked the Tuna in heavy saltwater overnight before putting fire under it.
I asked the reason for saltwater and he said growing up in I-O-W-A ----you know, where thay have cricks and not creeks----he always soaked game birds and game in saltwater to get out the gamey taste.
I said "what about milk or buttermilk" and the conversation took a whole pot of coffee too resolve.
Where you come from how do you prepare wild game?
Blessings

Living near San Diego, Ca for the past 20 years I have caught, prepared, and ate a lot of tuna.
Bluefin, yellowfin, and albacore. Bluefin is my hands down favorite. As soon as the fish comes
over the side of the boat and you decide it will be kept make a cut in the gills or rip them out
to bleed the fish out. I do this with all saltwater fish I keep. Then get it on ice ASAP. My favorite
way to eat tuna is raw sashimi style with wasabi and soy sauce. You only do that with super fresh
fish though and usually with the loin or the belly meat. Soaking the fish in a saltwater brine solution
is something you do if you are going to smoke the fish. For cooking tuna I usually marinate the
fillet in Italian dressing for about 1 hour and grill it. As was said previously don't overcook  it.
It should end up pink inside. For some fish that are a little strong I soak the fillets in milk
overnight in the refridgerator. That gets rid of the fishy flavor. Bonito is really excellent to eat.
You have to take care of it though, or it's only fit to use as fertilizer. When I catch bonito I bleed
them right away then get the fish on ice or if fishing in a kayak like I do, put them in a gunnysack
and keep the it wet by dipping it in the water every 20 minutes or so. Have a ice chest in your
truck to keep the fish fresh for the ride home after you are done. After getting home and kissing
your wife or girlfriend pull that bonito out and fillet it. Make sure to cut out all the red meat and
blood lines. Put the fillets in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. Bonito needs to be eaten right
away. I cut the fillets into 1/2-3/4 inch chunks and put it on bamboo skewers. Then I marinate it
in terriyaki sauce for about 30-45 minutes. Then I cook it in the broiler until done and serve it over
a bed of steamed rice. You talk about good!


                                          Robert
 

[Yankee1]

Hello William
        One of my favorite fish is the red snapper. We scale them and cut some slits in the side then put them on the broiler pan and baste with butter and garlic powder and salt and pepper. Broil until done and serve with a garden salad. We used to spear many in the Gulf of Mexico
off Texas.
                                Yankee1

[GH1]

I've used milke on venison roasts to get the gamey flavor out of it.  Thousand Island dressing works well too. I've yet to try buttermilk.
GH1

[Swampman]

If I wanted the "gamey" taste out of it I'd go to the store to buy meat.  I just cook mine like I do any other meat.