This article has been requested many times so here it is again! Sweeter than ever!

How many times has someone told you that your favorite fish recipe “tastes fishy”? Here’s a great trick to clean your fresh filets and enhance their flavor. Once you soak your filets in this mixture, you will be amazed at how much “crud” comes out of the filet.

Many of our rivers and lakes carry “consumption warnings”. State and Federal agencies suggest that you limit your portions and frequency of fish meals. Maryland waters can also be polluted. What folks don’t realize is that areas such as Montana watersheds harbor a lot of mercury, lead, and other pollutants. A lot of these come from the geothermal features in Yellowstone and our state. Of course, the toxics from the mining adventures and other development haven’t helped.

I often filet and skin the fish that I plan to eat. You also want to remove the fins, belly trim and skin. These “fatty” areas are where a lot of the pollutants end up. By removing them, you improve the quality of your catch. Older and bigger fish such as walleye, pike, and lake trout end up with more toxins over a longer lifetime

Think about where your fish are coming from. If the area is polluted, you may want to catch and release. If fish are what’s for dinner, then enjoy them fresh. I dispatch the fish quickly rather than hang it onto a stringer for hours. Ice the fish immediately.

Here’s the way to SWEETEN YOUR FILETS for added flavor and quality.

·        Mix 3 tbsp. of table salt and 2 tbsp. of baking soda into 1 gallon of cold water

·        Submerge the cleaned/fileted fish into the solution. You can hold them down with a plate.

·        Refrigerate 4-6 hours

·        Rinse with cold water and drip dry on paper towels

Once you do this, you will be impressed by the lack of “fishy flavor” and how much crud was removed from the fish filets. The nasty liquid that you discard will prove my point.

One of my favorite recipes is to put dry complete pancake batter into a zipper bag. I add Old Bay seasoning and shake and bake the dry fish filets. Lay them on wax paper for up to ½ hour or longer. I get the oil hot and drop in the coated filets. When they float to the surface of the hot oil, they are done. Lay the cooked fish onto paper towels so they can drain. A bit of tartar sauce and tomato slice on a fresh bun will help you taste the best fish sandwich ever!

Fish appetite!!!

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant, find him at www.montanagrantfishing.com.