The cleaning station at the dock is some kind of poly plastic that, when wet, I find fish can really slide around on, especially after they're scaled.
I've tried a piece of AstroTurf but it's a real pain to get the guts/slime out of.
Any other suggestions for a surface that will grip better? Doesn't have to be rigid, I can lay it on top of the existing table.
thanks,
Rob
Amazon has some. Most commercial boats I know use turf but they can clean with a large deck hose.
Cheers:
Todd
look at various chopping mats & flexible cutting boards
I actually prefer the cheaper thinner floppier ones (Target?)
https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=chopping+mat&category=0|All|matchallpartial|all%20categories&tref=typeahead%7Cterm%7Cundefined%7Cchopping%20mat%7C%7C%7C%7Cservice%7C%7C%7C%7C&searchTermRaw=chopping%20ma
I lay down a whole newspaper. Fish stick well, and as it slimes up I peel off the top sheet and keep going. Been working well for me for over 50 years. - Jimmer
FWIW, I've found that taking the time to dispatch a fish by bleeding it right after landing it cuts down on the production of slime. Tossing a live fish into an ice chest or fish box for it to flap around and bruise its meat also seems to stimulate the production of slime. If you fish with live eels, you know that any rough surface in their container that they'll brush up against will stimulate their production of slime. It's similar for other fish, even though eels are particularly slimy.
After the fish is bled, it goes right into a salted ice slurry to cool down quickly (I did some reading years back and the salted ice slurry inhibits the growth of bacteria on the skin of the fish, which is very rapid even in fresh cube ice in the absence of salinity - it's the bacterial growth that negatively impacts the quality of the flesh making it mushy and beginning the process of rotting). I keep a bunch of boxes of food-grade salt, and the night before you can fill your cooler, dump salt on the ice, and you should have a good start on a slurry early in the AM. If not, or if you forgot to do it the night before, use some fresh water (and more salt). Offshore you can use seawater supplemented with additional salt (to balance the fresh ice).
I've seen the newspaper method before and I think I'll give it another try - getting rid of the bacteria from the outside of the fish by continually discarding the slimy paper should help preserve the quality of the meat (and lessen the need to wash the fillet). Fresh fish really needs to be kept cooler than what is typical for most refrigerators - I'll usually double bag the fillets or steaks or loins, remove any excess air with a straw, and make an icewater bath either inside the refrigerator or in a clean cooler if I'm not going to consume the fish immediately after processing.
I just use a regular cutting board. A buddy has a regular cutting board with the 'action bits' of a clipboard cannibalized and mounted to the cutting board. He clips the the tail down, and away he goes. Seems pretty effective. I intend to copy it one day.
Where does a person find newspaper these days?
I haven't seen anyone reading one for years & years and those boxes selling them on street
corners disappeared long ago as well.
The grippier the surface, the harder it is to clean and sanitize. Astroturf, rugs, etc destroy fish quality rapidly as they harbor bacteria and spoilage microorganisms. Same goes with a wooden handle Dexter. This can cut shelf life and quality in half or more, even when put in the freezer.
Bleeding fish combined with proper evisceration(without puncturing intestines) and rapid chilling is essential. Rinse all fish prior to filleting. Salted ice won't inhibit bacteria growth that much. Newspaper is not food grade and you don't know what is in the ink or on the paper.
Cutproof grippy gloves are great for holding fish down and can be thrown in the wash and then hit with some peroxide and left to dry. This is much safer than trying to have your cutting board slip resistant.
Poly cutting boards are great and must be scraped frequently to remove all scratches as they harbor pathogens and spoilage microorganisms.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on April 12, 2022, 02:52:48 PMI just use a regular cutting board. A buddy has a regular cutting board with the 'action bits' of a clipboard cannibalized and mounted to the cutting board. He clips the the tail down, and away he goes. Seems pretty effective. I intend to copy it one day.
You can buy fish-specific ones of these with stronger springs and little teeth for gripping the fish. They're basically a gimmick unless you only catch fish a maximum of about 10" long.
An all rubber floor mat with the many rows of little studs seems to work well for me.
They clean up easily with the spray nozzle and if hung vertical on a wall where the suns uv rays can sanitize it, no chemicals are needed.
I got some on Amazon and now can't find them currently. Stay away from fabric ones, but something to keep the fish from easily sliding on a wet surface is better than nothing. :fish
I used to use a board with a 16 penny nail (pointy end up) to pin the end of the fish. Either push the head onto the nail or the tail. With large salmon filets, after filleting the fish, I would then put each filet on the nail and then remove the skin. Cheap and easy. You can put a wine bottle cork over the nail to safely store the board. Bill
Quote from: gstours on April 16, 2022, 04:10:01 PMAn all rubber floor mat with the many rows of little studs seems to work well for me.
They clean up easily with the spray nozzle and if hung vertical on a wall where the suns uv rays can sanitize it, no chemicals are needed.
I got some on Amazon and now can't find them currently. Stay away from fabric ones, but something to keep the fish from easily sliding on a wet surface is better than nothing. :fish
My fish cleaning table is 8 feet long with 2 fiberglass sinks and 2 faucets
Long enough for 3 people
All fish are kept on ice in the boat so they are firm. Much easier to clean firm meat.
The slime is washed off with a garden hose before cleaning
Back in the day, there was a company that made portable fish cutting boards with a nice spring loaded clamp. Very heavy spring and the clamp has teeth !!
This one is about 28" long and 7" wide. I stuck a 501 jigmaster in the pic to help visualize the size. I've had this one for 20+ years and never used it, but I bet it would work great. The wood could be swapped out for poly
a party boat i frequent uses a sink cutout from coriah countertop
works well lasts forever
probably minimum cost from countertop maker
I made a 36" fish cleaning board using an unsanded/untreated cedar fence board and a cannabilized spring loaded fish clamp. The rough cedar plank gripped the fish(salmon/striper) better and was easy to clean with a hose. Yes, a few splinters in the fish when first used but then no problem.