Ikijime "practice" 4/30

Where did you get the ikejime tool?  I'd like one.

My buddy ordered me one from here.  There are makeshift implements...ice pick...stainless piano or guitar wire...stiff mono...or get the real deal but shipping may suck.

http://www.anglers-secrets.com/

This link works, go to the bottom of the shopping page and you will see it.

"Ikejime is a method of slaughtering fish to maintain the quality of its meat."
Is that why you're doing it? Can you tell a difference in the quality of the meat? Seems like an unnecessary infliction of pain to the fish. If I wanted it dead, I might jam a knife to its brain to kill it quickly, but sticking something through its spinal column and mess with the nerves seems excessive. Many of the videos I saw on Youtube action showed a muscle reaction to the spinal insertion which made it look very inhumane.

"Ikejime is a method of slaughtering fish to maintain the quality of its meat."
Is that why you're doing it? Can you tell a difference in the quality of the meat? Seems like an unnecessary infliction of pain to the fish. If I wanted it dead, I might jam a knife to its brain to kill it quickly, but sticking something through its spinal column and mess with the nerves seems excessive. Many of the videos I saw on Youtube action showed a muscle reaction to the spinal insertion which made it look very inhumane.

I guess from all the data I read and studies and blogs and and and...that first brain spike eliminates nerve response and thus pain receptors are useless.  No pain...the brain and spinal column rendered inoperable do not alert the organs of death or the decaying process...releasing toxins and hormones throughout the flesh.  Flavorwise?  Never done a side by side taste test but this seems to be the most biologically humane way to kill a fish aside from what your eyes may perceive.

Thanks for posting! Here is was was going on in my head :
"im so glad Eddie posted this"
"Wow, that's a sweet tool"
"Nice striper"
"WAY TOO HIGH WAY TOO HIGH!"

 

I could show you where to spike if you show me how to fish?

Aloha,

Isao

Best bet to make the meat taste better is to bleed the fish out. Cut its gills and let it bleed.

Thanks for posting! Here is was was going on in my head :
"im so glad Eddie posted this"
"Wow, that's a sweet tool"
"Nice striper"
"WAY TOO HIGH WAY TOO HIGH!"

 

I could show you where to spike if you show me how to fish?

Aloha,

Isao

But I don't smoke weed anymore...did I seem like I was enjoying it that much?...we will fish!  You already know very well how to bait on a hook.  It's scary, I'm on a brain hunt.

Best bet to make the meat taste better is to bleed the fish out. Cut its gills and let it bleed.

Step 2...bleed it out...

THere's a lot going on here.  I started ikejime last year and there is a noticeable difference in quality of rockfish when I do it vs when I don't do it.  Especially coppers and verms.  Ikejime spike delays the onset of rigor significantly.  FIllet the fish before rigor and the meat is more firm and it doesn't seperate into giant chunks/flakes at the muscle stirations.  The quality after freezing is better too.  Spinal cord destruction helps too but it is a pain in the ass to do it on the water with a piano wire.  Eddie's tool looks sweet, for $16 or so I'd buy a couple but I cant get to the cart on the link provided for whatever reason.

I think the best handling for the best meat possible from rockfish and likely the same for striper since they are similar in body structure is to spike, cut gills, destroy the spinal cord, gut as soon as practicable, and put into ice slurry, filleting before rigor sets in.  If rigor does set in, wait for it to pass before you fillet.

As far as the nerve reactions the muscles will contract when stimulated after the fish is dead and prior to rigor, its the same for all animals.

Unstressed animals taste better.  Think What Would Temple Grandin do?  Then do that.  Kill the fish quickly with the brain spike, that's the most important thing to do to preserve meat quality.  Then bleed, then do those other things to preserve texture and firmness.

I managed to get one into cart but the page looks a little jumbled.  I am sure you can deal through email.  It may take some time but I have emailed him before and he answered quite promptly.  I'm stoked you know this way.  My chef buddy introduced me and he is a top notch Japanese chef, white boy from your neck of the woods.  Arcata I believe.

     I've been doing this a few years, since I started catching keepers, seems to make for nice quality meat.  The spike alone works to do a good job of delaying rigor.  You know when you hit a "bullseye" because the fish drops it's mouth open and flares out fins, then relaxes.  I don't usually do the whole spinal column thing (maybe on a tuna or something.)  Made an Ike tool out of a sharpened phillips head screwdriver that does the job very well.  (It was one of those free coupon harbor freight tools.)  The "sheath" is a piece of 3/4 vinyl tube with a length of pool noodle glued inside, and holds the ike inside with friction.

I haven't used it since I bought a kill knife for spearfishing.  Now, on the yak, I just keep my kill knife strapped inside my thigh, as if I were diving.  Same technique though.

I still think only the best/snobbiest chefs in the world would really notice, but if you want to do a side by side comparison, I'll bring the old-fashioned bonked-and-bled fish! 

I also couldn't see doing that with a limit of rockfish on the open ocean. You'd spend more time spiking the fish than fishing. But it could be worth the effort for a big salmon, striper, WSB, or halibut.

I'll bring the old-fashioned bonked-and-bled fish! 

I also couldn't see doing that with a limit of rockfish on the open ocean. You'd spend more time spiking the fish than fishing.

I think bonk/bleed can achieve similar results, but the ike paralyzes the fish completely when you do it right.  I haven't had any "wake up" again.  The bleeding seems to be the most crucial part for flavor.

With a little practice, I think spiking and bonking take about the same amount of time (if you don't do the spinal destruction part).

Would this work if you bonk the fish first?  I am thinking it would be a little hard to do on a bigger fish that is flopping around.