First Kingfish @ Sydney Harbour - Help

[Hoodlumz]

Hi everyone,

Caught my first Kingy a day and a half ago though we wasn’t very prepared on the trip.

1) Once I caught the kings, I did not bleed and put it in a bag with only a little bit of ice. Then continued fishing for 5 more hours. Once I got home I chucked it in the freezer as I heard my friend said you need to freeze it to kill any parasites. Is this correct? Just today I took it out of the freezer and in the sink in water about to be gutted and preped. Should it be okay?

 

2) Also I wanted to use 1 fillet raw. And the other fillet cooked. Any ideas on how I should cook it?

 

 

 

Thanks look forward to more experienced help!

 

 

[M1100S]

no expert on this but from what i have read you brain spike the fish and then bleed it straight away and put on ice slurry ( which is best) or ice blocks and seawater.

 

supposed to keep the fish in better shape.

 

google Ikijime kingfish and will give heaps of info.... the Japanese even run a small wire through the spine of fish.

 

yet to test any of this out as yet to catch my first legal kingfish  

 

where about in Harbour you catch said kingfish and what bait... was it a yakka or squid

Edited October 8, 2020 by M1100S

[Hoodlumz]

Caught near Rushcutters Bay. Was an experience. Lost few kings before finally caught my first!

 

If anyone who knows on how I stored and prep was okay please let me know? And is this freezing thing true to kill parasites?

[Rebel]

 Welcome aboard and well done.

[Jiggy]

Right so a couple of things here. When you catch a fish for the table brain spike it and bleed it out by cutting the gills. You don't need to cut the throat but cut the area behind the gills. Then ice it down in either a slurry or a pile of ice. I'm actually a bit  pedantic and I gut and gill my fish after bleeding them out then put them in ice. Less to do to them afterwards and an overly bloody esky creeps me out.

Given that the fish wasn't cleaned or bled I would not recommend eating is as sashimi/sushi. But freezing does kill off the parasites and makes any fish safe to eat raw. I would cook this one to be safe. But the next one treat it as advised, freeze the part you want to eat raw for a day and you should be fine.

It's all a learning process and you've got the main part right, catching them. Well done.

Cheers

Rob

[PaddyT]

wouldnt be eating that raw , storing an ungutted fish on ice and then a cold fridge for a few days is fine but bleeding is essential and ice needs to be packed around the fish-if im killing kings or tuna for sushi i dont open the gut cavity but rather gut them via the gills-less exposure to air and bacteria

[kingie chaser]

Personally as a chef I would never freeze fish for human consumption with the inards still in the fish & also being kept on a "little ice" what was the ambient temperture of the fish when you got home after 5 hours??

I think at times we have all gone through this, not prepared & caught a good fish that I want to take home but I want to keep fishing..........what do I do??

I would say dont give it 5 hours!

At some point you have to decide to get the fish home in good quality otherwise let it go.

 

Thats my opinion 🙂

Edited October 8, 2020 by kingie chaser