The North American Indians, with the exception of the Navajos
and Cheyennes who will not eat fish, have always been great fish
eaters. Fish they desired to skin or skin and scale at the same time
they simply beheaded and dressed or filleted and put the fish or fillets
in boiling water for a minute for so. They then took the fish out of the
boiling water and pulled off its skin and scales. After a fish or fillet has
been in boiling water a minute or so, its skin thickens and the glue-like
mucous bond between the skin and flesh loosens, making it possible to
peel the skin off the flesh as easy as peeling the skin off a banana. If you
like the skinless, mild tasting fish, this method is by far the best to use to
skin fish. The hot water not only thickens the skin and loosens its mucous
bond to the flesh but it dissolves the bond and fat between the skin and
flesh which contains most of the strong odors of the fish.
For Skinning Fillets of Fish
If you have a hot water faucet in your home, let the water run
until it is as hot as possible, the hotter the better. Take and run
a fork into the thick end of your fillet as the illustration shows.
Run it just into the flesh, not through the skin. Let the hot water
run on the skin of the fillet for 45 seconds. Test the skin and see
if it will come off easily. If it does not, leave it under the hot water
for another 15 seconds. This will make the skin so it can be easily
peeled off on most fish. On fish with extra heavy or tough skins it
may take 15 to 30 seconds longer. If you do not have a hot water
faucet in your home, simply place the fillet in a vessel of hot water
that is nearly boiling or just boiling slightly, using the same timing as
above. ~ GLH
***************************
Do you have a favorite recipe? Or neat
cooking method? Share them with us here!
Send to
publisher@flyanglersonline.com.
|
