Proper Way of Bleeding and Cleaning Sashimi grade tuna

BuonaForTuna · Feb-22-2009, 08:46 PM

Whats up guys I found this PDF file for you all to look at sounds like a good method harder then shit and quite time consuming but if you guys are really all about making the most of your catch take a look at it and let me know what you think. http://www.spc.int/Coastfish/Fishing..._E/Sashimi.pdf

MikeeDaGuy · Feb-22-2009, 09:12 PM

That is EXACTLY, (well cept for the mono in the head thing) How JJ and the Boys take care of Larger fish on the Apollo on 5 Day trips that I have been on.
Bled, Gut,Gill and RSW in good time. That fish is in pristine condition when ya hit the dock at the end of the trip!!

BuonaForTuna · Feb-22-2009, 10:13 PM

Yea the mono in the head kinda struck me as rather odd but im sure there is a purpose for it if your sending it down the spine im assuming its to kill the nerves that may make a difference in how the meat is towards the end of the trip. I dont know all i know is that it seems like a great way of doing things and I think im going to try the shit out this year.

ddc · Feb-22-2009, 10:43 PM

Here's another great thread (best fish are iced) on this topic.

BuonaForTuna · Feb-22-2009, 10:53 PM

Dave I had read that thread and not saying that anything on it wasnt good info but I figured here is another great tutorial with pics to help out. Both are full of great info.

DenisB · Feb-22-2009, 11:00 PM

The SPC document is pretty good overall, but is deficient in a couple of key areas
( comes from gear technicians doing the report not specialists in tuna physiology and butchering/storage).

If you think your tuna is good without the spinal reaming part wait till you do one with the spinal reaming part & thaw it out a month or so later , it is like chalk & cheese to the result with other handling techniques.
Here is another thread , where the reasons for each step and what to do / not do in shortcuts in the handling & why.
The nitty-gritty stuff starts on P2 .
There is one proven absolutely best way to prep your tuna once you get it on the boat for sashimi lovers & longer term storage before cooked dishes.
There are a couple of shortcuts that are acceptable provided the fish are consumed within a week or so of capture.
There are a bunch of things that work for other fish but are the absolutely wrong thing to do with tuna.
Understanding why you are doing the various steps in the prep process before chilling & what to do & when ..........if you are taking shorcuts is critical in ending up with a top class product on the table.
http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fi...=prepping+tuna (Prepping Tuna!)

Enjoy good eating.

BuonaForTuna · Feb-22-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenisB

The SPC document is pretty good overall, but is deficient in a couple of key areas
( comes from gear technicians doing the report not specialists in tuna physiology and butchering/storage).

If you think your tuna is good without the spinal reaming part wait till you do one with the spinal reaming part & thaw it out a month or so later , it is like chalk & cheese to the result with other handling techniques.
Here is another thread , where the reasons for each step and what to do / not do in shortcuts in the handling & why.

http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fi...=prepping+tuna (Prepping Tuna!)

Enjoy good eating.

Same thing pretty much what differences would you say to do though? Aside putting it in the RSW what you said in your passages in the forum it was almost the Exact same thing.

DenisB · Feb-22-2009, 11:21 PM

Jesse
Re-read the post I edited after you read it.
Yep the basics are the same.
Thats a long thread there, you must be a quick reader.
The important bit is the spinal reaming & why.
The SPC doc was critiqued & its shortcomings identified on another site in detail.
This issue of tuna prep is a repeat of a repeat of a repeat , so not too fussed about going there again.
Comparing the detail of what was posted in the thread referenced above with the SPC doc fills the gaps in the SPF doc.
I know a number of the senior SPC people quite well , the bits they didn't get quite right in the doc by ONE of their gear technologists is well known to them.

BuonaForTuna · Feb-22-2009, 11:24 PM

lol either way seems like alot of work. But if you want good stuff i guess its a must. Is there any docs that you have on a how too pretty much step by step?

DenisB · Feb-22-2009, 11:48 PM

Jesse
Unfortunately not in a pictorial step by step.
The pictorial stuff in the SPC doc is pretty good.
Their explanation of why certain steps are done is not quite on the money in a couple of places.
If you refer my text to the various pictorials in the SPC stuff you are pretty close to the money.
The really important point I make in acceptable shortcuts is that if you are not doing the spinal reaming step, you should not put your fish straight in the RSW or ice, but cover the fish with a towel etc, keep it wet with seawater regularly & wait till it starts to go into rigor ( starts to go stiff ) before putting the fish in the chiller.
Spinal reaming adds about 30 seconds to the handling technique once learnt.
The best way to learn if you are having trouble with it & after reading the text; is to practice reaming with a fish you are butchering back home ( or on the way home ) with one fillet removed and the spine exposed so you can see where that reamer is going / needs to go.
Once you understand that & the way to leave the rear half of the brain cavity undamaged ( by the spike / wad punch/ corer ) to act as a funnel for the reamer ...........you are on your way.

The other short cut to the short cut if its a really hot bite is to just bleed the fish & put it under the wet towel till the bite slows down. But that leads to "Miware" ( splitting of the flesh ) if gutting is left till after the fish is in rigor. So don't leave the gutting step too long.
As I say in my stuff , the best way to handle tuna for quality is to tag team the fish prep with a couple of mates on the boat.

Hope that helps
Denis

BuonaForTuna · Feb-23-2009, 12:04 AM

I gotcha, well i dont have a RSW on my boat so I think the wet towels and saltwater will have to do in my fish hold till i get back to the docks. I have to see if i can find a coring tool im going to make a spike this week gotta look around the house for a hammer or something that i dont want anymore. But thanks for that added info i will put it all to good use.

DenisB · Feb-23-2009, 01:32 AM

No need for a hammer .a sharpened piece of steel etc ( pref Stainless ) about 3/8" in dia , with a bulky wooden handle epoxied on the end struck with the heel of the palm of your hand will do the job easy..............that hammer hurts if you miss the spike/corer on a sloppy day
............slapping yourself with your other hand doesn't.

You gotta take some ice with you in tuna season ..........on a long day it makes a real difference to the tuna by the time you get home.
Even if you only take a bunch of old plastic drink bottles filled with water & frozen at home as a minimum.
For anyone that doesn't have a big enough fish box; a heavy duty ripstop nylon reinforced PVC bag does an adequate job to make your slurry in.
Some fishing accessory companies are now making fish bags like that or you can make / have made one yourself.
Good prep & good chilling.............. makes for good eating at home.

Anyone portioning their own tuna should also read up on the posts on "Histamine Reactions" and the simple precautions handling tuna skin you should take when portioning your tuna.
A site search for "histamine" should get you the info .
Its not scaremongering..............its just simple known precautions you should know about and undertake.