i’ve been missing out on mackerel

[Billybob]

When I was a kid, there was a great spring run in LIS, you could jig up trash cans full, and we would freeze most of them for bait.
My Dad would call me in sick for school and we would go. We'd catch the macs and give a bunch to the nuns - they liked them.
"You made a remarkable recovery, Bill" they would say.

[DZ]

I spent my formative years here in Newport which was once considered the mack capital of New England. Spent lots of time with the native Portuguese/Azorian fishermen who kept buckets of them. They told me a few recipes including frying them with eggs for breakfast (which turned me off). Another recipe was cutting fillets into chunks, bread crumb them, and then deep frying. Put the chunks in a bowl in the middle of the dinner table then add various dipping sauces in separate bowls. Kind of like a fish fondue. Very good.

[LiamRosati]

Originally Posted by Billybob

When I was a kid, there was a great spring run in LIS, you could jig up trash cans full, and we would freeze most of them for bait.
My Dad would call me in sick for school and we would go. We'd catch the macs and give a bunch to the nuns - they liked them.
"You made a remarkable recovery, Bill" they would say.

Holly Mackerel?

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by LiamRosati

Holly Mackerel?

BOO

[Ed B]

Back in the summer of my college days I used to pack fish at the Harwichport Fish Co., and the owner was a real stickler for top quality fish as we used to sell to a lot of the better restaurants and Inns in the area from Dennis to Orleans. The charter guys at Wychmere and Saquatucket Harbors used to bring their fish to us and the ones who carried ice and took care of their fish got paid higher prices because it was a good product the we could sell locally as opposed to other fish which would get shipped to NY or Philly to get auctioned off.

An experienced fish cutter can tell exactly how you took care of your fish by the firmness as soon as he sticks the knife into the flesh. Taking care of fish that have high metabolisms like bluefish, macks and tunas is critical to getting a good product, because the enzymes in their digestive system can deteriorate the flesh quickly once the fish dies. If you want good fish it's simple - kill, gut, wash out the inside, and put on ice in a cooler right after you catch it. (NOT AFTER YOU GET BACK HOME! It's too late then!)

Having said that, I'll say I like baked Bluefish just fine because that's how I take care of the ones I keep and it works. I've never tried mackerel but I would do the same for them, and I'm glad you had some good eats Jim!

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Ed B

Back in the summer of my college days I used to pack fish at the Harwichport Fish Co., and the owner was a real stickler for top quality fish as we used to sell to a lot of the better restaurants and Inns in the area from Dennis to Orleans. The charter guys at Wychmere and Saquatucket Harbors used to bring their fish to us and the ones who carried ice and took care of their fish got paid higher prices because it was a good product the we could sell locally as opposed to other fish which would get shipped to NY or Philly to get auctioned off.

An experienced fish cutter can tell exactly how you took care of your fish by the firmness as soon as he sticks the knife into the flesh. Taking care of fish that have high metabolisms like bluefish, macks and tunas is critical to getting a good product, because the enzymes in their digestive system can deteriorate the flesh quickly once the fish dies. If you want good fish it's simple - kill, gut, wash out the inside, and put on ice in a cooler right after you catch it. (NOT AFTER YOU GET BACK HOME! It's too late then!)

Having said that, I'll say I like baked Bluefish just fine because that's how I take care of the ones I keep and it works. I've never tried mackerel but I would do the same for them, and I'm glad you had some good eats Jim!

great post. on the water had a cool article recently about caring for fish, saying bleed them
immediately, soak them
in an icy slushy mix while bleeding for a few minutes until the heart stops, then out on ice. i’d gave to think that hurting them
would help too.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Ed B]

Obtaining good fish quality is kind of common sense if you think about it on a basic level. Getting rid of all the blood and guts which holds all the bacteria and juices you don't want to eat as soon as possible works in your favor. Then cooling the flesh down below the normal temperature which the bacteria favors will save and prolong the fish quality.