from many yrs on the culinary circuit~~~
primarily, fresh water takes the "ocean" out of the flavor.
the only time i've rinsed fish in professional kitchens
was when they were approaching the waste stage~~~
rinsing saltwater fish in fresh water does tend to make them mushy,
it's okay if it's a quick rinse. bleeding them while live reduces the amount of red meat; since when they die, the blood has to go somewhere. if you kill them by bleeding them, then the meat IS "cleaner".
with white meated fish it's not as big a concern, but
with dark meat fish(bluefish, redfish, tuna, etc) it's essential for discerning palettes.
most people just WANT fresh fish and don't care either way.
if i'm not weighing the fish,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i will ice it or leave it in the water until i can bleed and gut it.
then i'll rinse the cavity in the surf. peferrably rocky(no sand), waist deep,
and clean water(no mung, weed, critters) then i'll follow the normal filleting procedures.
i have cut the bile sac twice, it's ugly, and definitely taints the meat.
again, most folks don't care and wouldn't know it if ya didn't tell them.
does anyone know if it "ruins" the meat, because i've only done it twice and it is a concern of mine??
hope this helps, Mike. sorry about the other night in WKPG, i was in surfzombie mode by then
