If you decide to keep your catch, make sure you have an ice slurry on hand as fish keep better when immediately put on ice. Some fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel will need to be bled out straight away to improve its eating qualities.
In the ideal situation you would have ice available, in which case you would remove the gut and gills from the fish, along with any obvious blood in that area, but leave the scales on.
The scales trap moisture in the flesh and do a good job of keeping the meat moist and fresh. If you have flaked ice, make a slurry of three parts seawater with two parts of flaked ice. This will keep fish fresh and palatable for an extended period.
As long as you keep the fish moist and do not let it dry right out, the scales will still be easy to remove later. They only become difficult to remove once the skin has dried right out.
Wash the fish thoroughly in seawater to remove external slime, then place it in the slurry. If you only have ice then place it right on the ice. Do not use plastic bags to store the fish at this stage. Only use plastic bags if you are also keeping food on the same ice.
Drain the water off the ice regularly so the fish are not floating in slime and blood, although if you have managed to thoroughly wash your catch so that the ice water is clean, this will not be necessary.
Iki Jime
Recent studies into seafood quality have yielded plenty of information on maintaining the quality of your catch for eating. Many of us are familiar with the technique of Iki Jime, or brain-spiking as it is known. This technique kills the fish quickly and humanely, and has been found to increase the quality of fish kept for consumption. The www.ikijime.com website contains all the up to date information you will need.
