Bonito filleting.

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#8
When I was young most of my friends woiuld take the bonito, fillet it, and remove the red part of the fillet that was stronger in flavor. It was the old "don't really like fishy tasting fish."

Then as seen on PFIC when we began to gain many members who were Asian, we discovered the ways to incorporate various spices to enhance the flavor of strong flavored fish, i.e., mackerel, and thoughts changed. Plus, we learned about new types of food, such as sashimi, that are ideal for bonito. Today we can say almost any kind of fish is good eating if you simply know the correct was to cook it. A fillet of a white flavored fish (low in oil) will never taste the same as the fillet of a strong, dark flavored fish (high in oil) but if you know what types of cooking is best for each you can enjoy both. As a general rule use cooking methods that use oil for fish that are low in oil content (such as frying) and don't use oil for fish that are high in oil content (such as broiling, BBQ'ing, and smoking).
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#9
Some basics on fish and fish:

Fish— Flavor— Methods for Cooking
______________________________________________________________________________________

Bass (including Kelp Bass,Sand Bass and Spotted Sand Bass aka Spotted Bay Bass—Mild—Filleted and then pan-fried, deep-fried
or baked

Cabezon—Mild—Filleted and then pan-fried, deep-fried or baked. (Do not eat the roe -- it is poisonous)

California Barracuda—Mild— Filleted and then cut into serving sized pieces. Pan-fried, deep fried, grilled.

California Halibut—Mild— Filleted and then cut into serving sized pieces. Pan-fried, deep-fried or baked

Croakers (including Spotfin, Yellowfin, Black and Corbina)—Mild—Filleted and then pan-fried, deep-fried or baked

Croaker (White)—Mild but sometimes mushy—Pan-fried whole***

Greenling—Mild—Pan-fried whole** or filleted — be sure to remove the pin bones

Jacksmelt/Topsmelt —Mild but sometimes mushy—Pan-fried whole (small)** or filleted (large) — be sure to remove the pin bones.

Lingcod—Mild—Filleted and then cut into serving sized pieces—Generally fried

Rockfish—Mild—Filleted and then pan-fried, deep-fried or baked

Sablefish—Rich, buttery taste— Smoke, broil, bake or pickle

Pacific Bonito—Fairly strong flavored along blood line— Smoke, broil, bake or pickle and can be used in suishi

Pacific Mackerel —Strong —Smoke, B-B-Q, or pickle

Pacific Sanddab—Mild —Cooked whole

Pacific Tomcod—Mild — sweet —Pan-fried whole and delicate

Sand Sole—Mild—Pan-fried whole (small), filleted and pan-fried (medium)

Scorpionfish (Sculpin) —Mild — sweet—Filleted (carefully), pan-fried, deep-fried, and delicate baked. Good for sushi.

Skate/Stingray —Mild — similar to scallops—Remove and skin pectoral fins (wings), cut into chunks or fillets and then pan-fry in butter

Surfperch/Seaperch—Mild but a little soft — surf-caught fish tend to be a little better than those caught in bays or the open ocean Pan-fried whole or filleted (remove the hair-like pin bones if filleted) and then pan-fry

Sturgeon—Mild— Fillet and cut into portion sized steaks, pan-fried, deep-fried, baked, grilled

* Although many people like sushi, far too many of our locally caught fish have parasites in them; parasites which can cause problems if the fish are eaten raw. Properly cooked, most fish present no problem.

** Small fish can be pan-fried after gutting, removing the head and gills, and removing the scales.

*** White croaker (and several other fish) are unsafe to eat in certain localities; check the California Fish and Game Regulations for specific areas in question
 
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