Aging/resting fresh salmon

 Not really a recipe but more on fish prep. Interested to hear what others do.

Last year, I made the mistake of filleting and freezing my salmon on the same day that I caught them. I learned later that the flavor of the fish improves (how can it improve from day 1!? I thought) with aging for 24-72 hours or more. With my recent catch, I put it to the test.

On the day that I caught it, I bled it well on the water. At home I took out the guts and gills and cleaned out the bloodline. I scaled it. Then got 60 pounds of ice in a big cooler and buried the fish in there. I put a layer of 20lbs of ice in first. Then put the fish in and the rest on top. The cooler was tilted so that water can drain, but the fish was suspended in the ice, if that makes sense. The fish was on ice that way until the afternoon the following day, about 30 hours post-mortem. At no time did I want the fish in water, just ice cold.

I then filleted the fish and vacuum sealed my fillets, saving one for dinner that night. Poki and sashimi. Yes, I know the FDA guidelines around parasites and the required temps and time. Salmon is the only fish I eat this way. It was delicious.

I put the vacuum packed fillets in the fridge overnight. According to the meat industry, vacuum sealing does not impact or reduce the enzymatic reactions necessary for the meat to tenderize and give rise to umami. I figure the same would be for fish. In fact, it’s the oxidization and aerobic bacteria that spoils fish and you can keep fish vacuum sealed for up to a week refrigerated, compared to just a few days without vacuum sealing (web reference from a food industry site. I think it’s legit).

On day 2, roughly 55 hours post mortem, I opened one of the vacuum sealed bags for dinner.  Nigiri, maki, hand rolls, seared salmon belly, and air fried salmon skin. It’s not Nobu but it keeps the family happy. The difference was very noticeable! Texture, oiliness, umami, all were improved from the night before.

I then took all the refrigerated packs and put them in the -20.  Not that I’m worried about it, but they will meet fda guidelines the next time we eat it (after a week or more).  The goal is for when those packs are defrosted, they have the same bust of flavor and texture as the 55 hours old fish. I hope they do!!

Curious to know what others do w their fish. For the halibut, I am aging it 3 full days. I did the same thing, vacuum sealed in the fridge on the day after catching.

I am inadvertently going to test this theory out because I ran out of freezer space and just caught another salmon 

Oh yes you did! 

Great writeup.  Gotta get you a wire fo da uddah way to create umami as well...

It's funny, I just stumbled upon the same approach, and this is the way. I had always heard that sushi/sashimi fish wasn't fresh off the boat, but was in fact aged for some period of time, but I was so indoctrinated in the whole "fresher is better" mindset that it didn't occur to me to investigate further. I tried rockfish sashimi fresh on my kayak, but the texture was all wrong, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of.

While out with Fernando a week ago, I kept a ling and a couple of rockfish. When I got home the ling was curled into a U shape, which was going to make it hard to filet. I googled "how long does fish rigor mortis last" or something like that, which sent me down a google worm/rat hole. And the answer I arrived at was as much as six days, and that fish actually might have a better texture and flavor if you wait for it to relax. So I did. I gutted the fish, and kept them on fresh ice, not soaking in water but on ice until they loosened up, which ended up being four days. Then I filleted them and vacuum sealed them. I ate one filet to see if I had any reaction to the "aged" fish, but it tasted great and I had no negative reaction. The next evening I served the fish to my family, and they loved it, and thought the flavor and texture was excellent, and so did I.

So based on my reading and experience: bleed the fish at sea, get it on ice ASAP, keep fish on ice, gut within 24 hours, rest in a seawater/ice slurry or on ice (not in melted ice/freshwater) until rigor mortis relaxes, then process and eat or freeze. But I'm seriously thinking about the practicality of gutting and icing the fish on the water.

Here's a link to an article that talks about this approach: https://www.alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/activities/fishing/229-fish-handling-by-jon-rowley

Edit: I did a preliminary vacuum seal after I gutted them.

It's funny, I just stumbled upon the same approach, and this is the way. I had always heard that sushi/sashimi fish wasn't fresh off the boat, but was in fact aged for some period of time, but I was so indoctrinated in the whole "fresher is better" mindset that it didn't occur to me to investigate further. I tried rockfish sashimi fresh on my kayak, but the texture was all wrong, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of.

While out with Fernando a week ago, I kept a ling and a couple of rockfish. When I got home the ling was curled into a U shape, which was going to make it hard to filet. I googled "how long does fish rigor mortis last" or something like that, which sent me down a google worm/rat hole. And the answer I arrived at was as much as six days, and that fish actually might have a better texture and flavor if you wait for it to relax. So I did. I gutted the fish, and kept them on fresh ice, not soaking in water but on ice until they loosened up, which ended up being four days. Then I filleted them and vacuum sealed them. I ate one filet to see if I had any reaction to the "aged" fish, but it tasted great and I had no negative reaction. The next evening I served the fish to my family, and they loved it, and thought the flavor and texture was excellent, and so did I.

So based on my reading and experience: bleed the fish at sea, get it on ice ASAP, keep fish on ice, gut within 24 hours, rest in a seawater/ice slurry or on ice (not in melted ice/freshwater) until rigor mortis relaxes, then process and eat or freeze. But I'm seriously thinking about the practicality of gutting and icing the fish on the water.

Here's a link to an article that talks about this approach: https://www.alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/activities/fishing/229-fish-handling-by-jon-rowley

Edit: I did a preliminary vacuum seal after I gutted them.

I wonder how using Ikejime on a fish affects this process.

I don’t really eat uncooked fish but this sound great.
I’ll have to try this one time at least. Thanks for sharing.

Not really a recipe but more on fish prep. Interested to hear what others do.

Last year, I made the mistake of filleting and freezing my salmon on the same day that I caught them. I learned later that the flavor of the fish improves (how can it improve from day 1!? I thought) with aging for 24-72 hours or more. With my recent catch, I put it to the test.

On the day that I caught it, I bled it well on the water. At home I took out the guts and gills and cleaned out the bloodline. I scaled it. Then got 60 pounds of ice in a big cooler and buried the fish in there. I put a layer of 20lbs of ice in first. Then put the fish in and the rest on top. The cooler was tilted so that water can drain, but the fish was suspended in the ice, if that makes sense. The fish was on ice that way until the afternoon the following day, about 30 hours post-mortem. At no time did I want the fish in water, just ice cold.

I then filleted the fish and vacuum sealed my fillets, saving one for dinner that night. Poki and sashimi. Yes, I know the FDA guidelines around parasites and the required temps and time. Salmon is the only fish I eat this way. It was delicious.

I put the vacuum packed fillets in the fridge overnight. According to the meat industry, vacuum sealing does not impact or reduce the enzymatic reactions necessary for the meat to tenderize and give rise to umami. I figure the same would be for fish. In fact, it’s the oxidization and aerobic bacteria that spoils fish and you can keep fish vacuum sealed for up to a week refrigerated, compared to just a few days without vacuum sealing (web reference from a food industry site. I think it’s legit).

On day 2, roughly 55 hours post mortem, I opened one of the vacuum sealed bags for dinner.  Nigiri, maki, hand rolls, seared salmon belly, and air fried salmon skin. It’s not Nobu but it keeps the family happy. The difference was very noticeable! Texture, oiliness, umami, all were improved from the night before.

I then took all the refrigerated packs and put them in the -20.  Not that I’m worried about it, but they will meet fda guidelines the next time we eat it (after a week or more).  The goal is for when those packs are defrosted, they have the same bust of flavor and texture as the 55 hours old fish. I hope they do!!

Curious to know what others do w their fish. For the halibut, I am aging it 3 full days. I did the same thing, vacuum sealed in the fridge on the day after catching.

Here I am in bed putzing around for a few before going to sleep and now I’m hungry!

It's funny, I just stumbled upon the same approach, and this is the way. I had always heard that sushi/sashimi fish wasn't fresh off the boat, but was in fact aged for some period of time, but I was so indoctrinated in the whole "fresher is better" mindset that it didn't occur to me to investigate further. I tried rockfish sashimi fresh on my kayak, but the texture was all wrong, and there wasn't really any flavor to speak of.

While out with Fernando a week ago, I kept a ling and a couple of rockfish. When I got home the ling was curled into a U shape, which was going to make it hard to filet. I googled "how long does fish rigor mortis last" or something like that, which sent me down a google worm/rat hole. And the answer I arrived at was as much as six days, and that fish actually might have a better texture and flavor if you wait for it to relax. So I did. I gutted the fish, and kept them on fresh ice, not soaking in water but on ice until they loosened up, which ended up being four days. Then I filleted them and vacuum sealed them. I ate one filet to see if I had any reaction to the "aged" fish, but it tasted great and I had no negative reaction. The next evening I served the fish to my family, and they loved it, and thought the flavor and texture was excellent, and so did I.

So based on my reading and experience: bleed the fish at sea, get it on ice ASAP, keep fish on ice, gut within 24 hours, rest in a seawater/ice slurry or on ice (not in melted ice/freshwater) until rigor mortis relaxes, then process and eat or freeze. But I'm seriously thinking about the practicality of gutting and icing the fish on the water.

Here's a link to an article that talks about this approach: https://www.alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/activities/fishing/229-fish-handling-by-jon-rowley

Edit: I did a preliminary vacuum seal after I gutted them.

I wonder how using Ikejime on a fish affects this process.

After all my study it is the key but I'm sure the general philosophy of resting meat has an effect...I always carry a wire on da yak and I commit to a brain spike wire salmon bled and iced fishbag at next harvest...

what i'd be curious about...would it be any different to freeze the fish immediately.  then defrost.  then age as you wish. 

correct me if i'm wrong here... but thinking about the markets in Japan, aren't those tuna frozen stone cold?  then a sushi chef will purchase their portion and age the cuts as desired.

this is probably worth a watch:

Looks great!

I wrap my fillets in paper towels in an airtight container overnight to wick away any residual blood in the capillaries (shouldn't be any if I do an immediate and thorough job of bleeding) and other fluids. The fish keeps a long time (a week is the longest I've tried) like this without developing "fishy" smells or off flavors, though I usually freeze it the next morning. Upon defrosting I also wrap in paper towels to wick away fluid.

I believe keeping meat of any kind clean and dry goes a long way in abating bacterial growth and funkiness.

Looks great!

I wrap my fillets in paper towels in an airtight container overnight to wick away any residual blood in the capillaries (shouldn't be any if I do an immediate and thorough job of bleeding) and other fluids. The fish keeps a long time (a week is the longest I've tried) like this without developing "fishy" smells or off flavors, though I usually freeze it the next morning. Upon defrosting I also wrap in paper towels to wick away fluid.

I believe keeping meat of any kind clean and dry goes a long way in abating bacterial growth and funkiness.

I do something similar, filet then wrap in paper towels for at least a day, changing the paper towels at least once a day.  Gut and scale first, not only scaling but scraping the knife in both direction, so as to get rid of the slime.  I don't want any slime or guts touching the filets.  Even if you're going to let it sit whole a few days, gut, scale, and de-slime first.  Also, I try not to have to wash my filets as fresh water will degrade the quality.  Spend your time washing your cutting board and wiping it down, instead of washing your filets and wiping them down.

-Allen

Thanks for posting this, I`m going out Weds .I`m going to give this a shot. I knew about not rinsing the salmon with fresh water from my Grandfather who commercial fished , actual he would say all fish. i use a seperate board for cleaning and breaking down /filleting fish any way.

And when I used to cut meat, we would try to limit any contact as much as possible with blood or fluids as the meet aged,I usually thaw out the meat, tamp dry, place on a rack in tupper ware to keep it out of fluids.

anyhow I`m rambling but again thanks for posting.

last add on , I have a " bad" palate for things like wine and even some meats and fish  so to be honest ,I`m wondering if i`ll even taste a difference , I cant tell between a fresh kill,quick bled salmon or a bonk and sit on ice/clean later   

That palette thing is funny.  I served in restaurants many years and tried to be that wine snob guy and bottom line, hmmm, I like that, oooo that’s good, or that’s off or nah, I don’t like that one.  Fish processing wize, I probably cannot taste the difference as well but I know it’s been optimized in care for processing so that adds a little stoke in the cooking and serving motivation.  I’ve seen a vid of an iked(ikijime), my new word, iked, striper, and a non iked striper after two weeks, chilled, the meat quality in the un-iked fish had many blood lines throughout the meat and had a bitter/off flavor raw, for obvious reasons, but the iked fish was pure white and very clean tasting.  fwiw...  

https://www.vox.com/videos/2019/6/27/18744387/right-way-kill-fish-ikejime

what i'd be curious about...would it be any different to freeze the fish immediately.  then defrost.  then age as you wish. 

correct me if i'm wrong here... but thinking about the markets in Japan, aren't those tuna frozen stone cold?  then a sushi chef will purchase their portion and age the cuts as desired.

this is probably worth a watch:

Yes, great question!! I’ve been thinking about this and wondering the same but haven’t come to any conclusion.  Freezing at home vs on a tuna boat are different first off, they have super cold freezers.  But nonetheless, freezing will denature proteins and impact the cellular structure of the meat but the enzymes shouldn’t be affected.  My hunch is that for best flavor, enzymatic degradation should take place with protein structure intact...but maybe a biochemist could weigh in here....

I have a thawed vacuum sealed yellowfin tuna from SD that is currently at 48 hours in the fridge.  I am going for 72 hours...will report back!

Great video btw...We have a fridge in the garage for drinks, storage, etc.  I floated the idea to my wife of converting it to a cold fish storage device and it didn’t even register a response...

Here’s another video that i like.  Doesn’t go into the technique really, but mentions the aging process for tuna.  It’s a beautiful video anyway - I’ve watched these guys live in the old tsukiji market when they used to allow tourists in.  It’s pretty amazing

I do something similar, filet then wrap in paper towels for at least a day, changing the paper towels at least once a day.  Gut and scale first, not only scaling but scraping the knife in both direction, so as to get rid of the slime.  I don't want any slime or guts touching the filets.  Even if you're going to let it sit whole a few days, gut, scale, and de-slime first.  Also, I try not to have to wash my filets as fresh water will degrade the quality.  Spend your time washing your cutting board and wiping it down, instead of washing your filets and wiping them down.

-Allen

Thanks, I'm going to try adding the desliming and paper towel steps. I have noticed the fresh water degrading the quality of the meat, causing a rough texture on the surface; I assume it's due to cytolysis of the outer layer of cells, so if I do need to rinse I use salt water. But as you say, I just need to slow down and keep everything clean.