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Keith Lusher 11.20.23
I’m certain you’ve heard the advantages of dry-aging venison or different sorts of recreation. People who undergo the hassle of dry-aging get pleasure from a extra tender minimize of meat which is best tasting as nicely. However what about dry-aging in terms of fish?
I just lately hosted a barbeque and invited among the greatest crappie fishermen within the South to commerce tales and tips about catching crappie. Figuring out that I used to be thought-about a light-weight when it got here to frying fish, I made a particular effort to complete frying the entire crappie earlier than any of my friends arrived. Because the night wore on the dialog inevitably turned to how every angler prepares their fish. That’s when a gentleman by the title of John Guillot defined how he began dry-aging his fish a long time in the past and by no means regarded again.
Guillot began with the caveat that he solely dry-ages crappie, shell-crackers, and Kentucky Bass which are caught in a flowing estuary. “I’ve not been profitable doing this with another fish than these fish,” he mentioned. “Redfish and speckled trout rot after I strive it with them.”
Guillot described how he treats the fish after they’re caught. “I add my catch to the cooler one by one to begin every chilling as quickly because the fish comes out of the water,” he mentioned. “By no means take your entire fish out of the stay nicely and throw them into the cooler on the similar time.”
When Guillot will get the fish house and is able to clear them he takes 5 fish out of the cooler at a time. He warns to not take all of them out on the similar time. “By no means take all of your fish out and lay them on the desk for footage particularly when it’s sizzling outdoors.”
After filleting the fish, he drops every fillet into a big bowl of ice water that serves as a rinse for the fillets. After the entire fish are cleaned Guillot stacks the fish in a container. “I stack all of the fillets in a Ziploc container and place it in a 35.5-degree fridge for 7-10 days,” he mentioned. He leaves one nook of the container propped up so the water collects on the reverse nook.
Every day Gulliot empties the water that collects within the container. “As they lose the surplus water they condense right into a tighter stack. Should you depart them within the water it accelerates spoilage. I don’t disturb the stack when pouring off the water. I maintain my hand over the fillets whereas draining at one nook,” he mentioned.
Guillot repeats the method for 10 days and mentioned by that point the fillets are agency and totally drained of water and provides, “As soon as the water stops draining out, there’s no motive maintain them within the fridge. There’s no actual good thing about going longer. You simply danger the fillets spoiling,” he mentioned.
Guillot mentioned the advantages of dry-aging are noticeable. “The fish flesh will get firmer and I believe it tastes sweeter. It additionally fries with out the water splattering oil in every single place. I’ve additionally seen that it cooks a lot faster. The flesh involves 165 levels in a flash and the fillets are crisper too,” he mentioned.
After listening to about this course of I attempted it out and adopted Guillot’s directions. The method went nicely nevertheless I did must set a reminder to empty the fillets day-after-day which was a little bit of a ache. After day eight I took the container out as a result of there was no extra water being collected. The stacked pile of fillets have been noticeably smaller due to the entire water that drained out over the previous eight days.
I made a decision to not freeze the fillets and to go straight to the fryer. After eradicating the fish I used a combination of milk, sizzling sauce, and mustard as my eggwash and tossed them in a ziplock bag stuffed with New Orleans Model Lousiana Fish Fry. As I added every fillet to the pot, I seen that they have been firmer than regular and didn’t sag after I dealt with them. Additionally, the oil didn’t pop as a lot after I added them in. I let the barbeque at 375 levels for 5 minutes and tossed them right into a serving pan lined with paper towels to absorb any extra grease.
It’s a practice for our household to serve up fried crappie with a aspect of white beans and rice through the winter months so after pairing some fillets with the white beans my spouse and I served up the plates to the household. I watched to see if any of them seen a distinction and may report that my oldest was the primary to ask if I did something totally different to the fish this time. She mentioned the fish was crispier and dryer than standard. After listening to this the remainder of the household agreed. That was all I wanted to listen to to alter my fish-frying routine to Guillot’s methodology.
In conclusion, I can actually say that dry-aging crappie resulted in a crispier, firmer, and extra tasty fillet of fish.
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