Many fish are used as food. Fish are a good source of protein and are eaten by people around the world.

A fish that you plan to eat must be kept fresh. To ensure its freshness it must be kept alive until it is cleaned. You can put live fish in the livewell of a boat or on a stringer in the water. If a fish can't be kept alive, it should be cleaned and placed on ice to avoid spoilage. If you don't plan to keep a fish, free it quickly without harming it.

Releasing A Fish

To release a fish, keep it in the water if you can. Handle it carefully with a wet hand so it can be freed unharmed. If it's a fish without sharp teeth like a bass, hold its lower lip between your thumb and index finger. If it has sharp teeth like a walleye or northern pike, carefully hold it around the body. Never hold a fish by the eyes or gills if it will be released.

Never tear a hook out. This can harm the fish and it may not live. If the fish is hooked deeply and you can't easily remove the hook, cut the line to release the fish. The hook will rust, dissolve, or become loose without harming the fish.

If a fish loses consciousness, try to revive it by gently moving it forward and backward so water moves through its gills. When the fish begins to struggle and can swim, let it go.

Cleaning Fish To Eat

Ask an adult to teach you how to use a knife to dress a fish so nobody gets hurt.

First insert the knife tip into the fish's vent and move the blade up along the belly, cutting to the head. Keep the knife blade shallow so you don't puncture the intestines. Then, spread the body open and remove all of the entrails. Some fish have a kidney by the backbone. You can remove it by scraping it out with a spoon or your thumbnail. Cut off the head and rinse the fish in clean water.

To keep a dressed fish fresh, surround it with ice in an ice chest or cooler. As the ice melts it should drain from the cooler. Never store fish in ice water.

Most saltwater fish don't keep well when put in a livewell or kept on a stringer. They must be put on ice to keep them fresh.

Scaling

Scaling means to remove the scales from the skin of a fish. Scale fish on a flat surface using one hand to hold it by the head. Rake the scales from the tail toward the head with a fish scaler or a large spoon. Remove the scales on both sides of the body. After you remove the head, gills, guts, and fins, cook the fish with its skin on.

Small fish, like bluegill and crappie, are usually scaled, cleaned and then cooked whole. Cook scaled fish with the bones in the body and remove them just before you eat.

Skinning

Removing the skin improves the taste of many fish. It also removes a layer of fat just under the skin. Catfish are usually skinned.

To skin a catfish or bullhead, hold its head firmly on a flat surface with a clamp. For safety, it is a good idea to snip off a catfish's spines before skinning. Then, cut through the skin behind the head and the pectoral fins. Use pliers to remove the skin from the body, pulling from the head toward the tail. Grasp the head of the fish with one hand and the body with the other. Break the backbone at the head. Pull the head and guts away from the skinned body. After you wash the fish in clean water, it's ready for cooking. You remove the fish's bones just before you eat it.

People also fillet catfish. However, they are more difficult to fillet than most other fish.

Filleting

Filleting means getting the meat of the fish without the bones. Larger fish, such as largemouth bass, northern pike, salmon, and walleye, are usually filleted. A filleted fish has its skin and all of its bones removed before cooking. Scaling isn't necessary. Fillet knives have a long, thin, blade that's very sharp and specifically designed for filleting fish.

Have an adult help as you learn to fillet. A fillet knife is dangerous and must be handled safely. If you have any slime on your hands or the knife handle, wash it off to prevent slipping. Always keep your hands in back of the blade. For added safety, wear metal-mesh "fish-cleaning" gloves to protect your hands.

To fillet a fish, lay it on its side on a flat surface. Cut the fish behind its gills and pectoral fin down to, but not through, the backbone. Without removing the knife, turn the blade and cut through the ribs toward the tail. Use the fish's backbone to guide you. Turn the fish over and repeat the steps.

Next, insert the knife blade close to the rib bones and slice the entire rib section of each fillet away. Then, with the skin side down, insert the knife blade about a 1/2-inch from the tail. Gripping this tail part firmly, put the blade between the skin and the meat at an angle. Using a little pressure and a sawing motion, cut against - not through - the skin. The fillet will be removed from the skin.

Wash each fillet in cold water. Pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. The fillets are ready to cook or freeze.

Steaking

A large fish is often cut across the body into thick steaks. First, clean the fish and skin or scale it. Usually, a fish is scaled only if the scales make it difficult to cut the steaks. Before steaking, chill the fish or put it in a freezer until it is partly stiff.

For most fish, cut through the body, working from the tail toward the head. Make each steak from 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick. After steaking, trim away any belly fat or bones that you can see, but not the backbone.

Storing Fish

Keep a fish alive or chilled from the time it is caught until it can be stored. Clean it as soon as possible to preserve its flavor. However, a fish can be kept for up to a day before cleaning if it is iced or chilled. After a fish is cleaned and skinned, filleted, or steaked, there are several ways to store it.

Icing

After a fish is dressed you can ice it. This is the best way to transport fish. Use an insulated cooler and leave the cooler's drain plug open so ice water will run out. Water spoils the flavor of the fish.

Refrigeration

Before refrigerating a fish, wash it in cold water and dry it with a clean cloth or paper towel. Then wrap it in waxed paper, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil and store on ice in the refrigerator. Usually, you can store a fish in the refrigerator for up to two days. Large fish or large pieces of fish will keep longer than small pieces. Lean fish (panfish and walleye) store better than fatty fish (trout).

Freezing

Frozen fish last from three to twelve months. However, the preparation for freezing is important.

A fish can lose its flavor if it comes in contact with air. One way to prevent this is to wrap the fish in aluminum foil. Then, wrap it again with freezer paper.

Another way is to freeze the fish in a solid block of ice. Use a refrigerator container. Place the fish into the container, but use enough water to just cover the fish.

To thaw a frozen fish, put it in the refrigerator overnight or place the wrapped fish in cold water. Do not try to thaw fish in a microwave because part of the fish will begin to cook before other parts are thawed. Don't thaw fish at room temperature.

Other Ways

Smoking, pickling, and canning are other ways to store or prepare fish. Look for recipes in cookbooks or your public library.

Ways To Cook Fish

Frying

Many fish are pan-fried; however, broiling or baking are also popular methods of cooking fish. Pan-frying is nothing more than cooking both sides of the fish in hot cooking oil. Coat the fish with flour, breading, cornmeal or batter before frying. The batter mix can be a pancake-type batter or one made with spices or even a little baking soda. Make sure the oil is hot enough. Heat the oil in a skillet and put a small piece of fish in it. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.

To deep-fry fish, put them completely into a deep pan of hot cooking oil. Fillets or small fish can be used with or without batter.

Recipes

There are many recipes for cooking fish. Most cookbooks have them. Here's a simple recipe for pan-fried fish.

Pan-fried Fish

Ingredients: Lean whole fish, dressed 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 1/2-cup flour Salt, pepper, and herb seasoning Cooking oil, butter, or margarine Lemon Parsley

Mix the egg and milk. Dip the fish into the egg-milk mixture and then coat the fish with flour. Instead of flour, you can use a heavier, breaded coating or pancake batter. Turn on the burner and set it to a high heat. Put some oil, butter, or margarine into the cooking pan. Use enough to cover the bottom to a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. When the oil is hot enough, put in the fish. Adjust the heat so that the oil will not smoke or burn. Cook the fish until it is brown on one side. Then, turn it over and cook the other side until it's brown, too. Remove the fish from the pan and place it on a paper towel to drain. Put the fish on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley. Butter and herbs are also tasty on pan-fried fish.

Other Ways To Cook Fish

There are many ways to cook fish that are both tasty and healthy. Broiling, grilling, baking, and poaching are good ways to cook fish. People prefer to fix fish these ways for a change and because oil is not used. This makes them healthier for those people who have to watch their diets. You can ask your parents if you can help as they prepare fish in these ways.

The microwave is an especially good way to cook fish quickly and easily. Place fillets in a microwave dish, add a liquid like water or lemon juice, cover them, and cook on high for six or seven minutes for one pound of fillets. Let stand for five minutes and then eat.

Safety Of Eating Fish

Most fish are safe to eat. However, some waters are polluted in such a way that it makes some fish unsafe to eat. Most often the health benefits of adding low-cholesterol fish to your diet greatly outweigh any health risks. If you are unsure of the safety of the area you are fishing, contact your state's natural resources agency or health department.

Some pollution problems in fish can be reduced by cleaning fish carefully. Skinning fish removes fat under the skin. Many pollutants can be contained in this fat. Trim fat from around the backbone, along the sides, and from the belly of the fish.

This information provided by the Future Fisherman Foundation.