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So a couple of weeks ago, I got myself some porgies out of the Gulf.
These guys are some of the best eating fish, the meat is white, almost like a Hog fish
thats probably because they also feed heavily on shellfish
My theory is, any fish that eats mostly on crustaceans are destined to be delicious
Personally, I think porgies taste better than some of the other snappers like Lane or Beeliners.
You can fry, bake, steam, or eat it raw, it doesn’t matter, this fish is good anyway
So if you never seen what really fresh fish looks like, this is it
This fish was less than 24 hours old and its the perfect example to showcase
The eyes should be clear like this, and the meat should be firm and bounces back when its pressed
and the gills should be deep red like the color of blood
Lastly fresh fish will have a clear glossy glow on the surface. Another words, it should be shiny
All 4 factors are important, and should be thought about when buying
But to me, having a shiny skin is almost always a guaranteed that its a fresh fish
Sometimes checking the eyes and gills aren’t always a sure bet, depending on how the fish was handled by the supplier
Alright, for this fish, I’m scaling it
Some people think it’s a waste of time, I say they probably never made sushi from a whole fish before
You can certainly skip this part, and just wash your filet in water after you’re done filleting it
but that’ll ruin the color and offset the taste
Find out for yourself. Just keep in mind that a skilled sushi chef never rinse the meat in water if its going to be served as sushi
So, to remove the head, score both side of the head behind the fin, and then cut on the bottom and really care to not cut inside the belly
If you’re not comfortable with this, cut it flat on the board
But I find I’m less likely to gut the guts because gravity is pulling it down
And since I’m not rinsing this, I don’t want to cut into the stomach and ruin the meat
So if you did this right, everything inside the cavity will come out clean like this
Once the head is removed, it’ll be much easier to fillet
Just score the back side first and slowly work your way along the bone
So I’ve had a few people ask me what knives I use in my videos
I use a few different ones, but I would say 90% of the time I’m using a Japanese style knife called a Deba
It’s not flexible like your typical Western fillet knives, but the extra weight of the steel makes cutting thru bones a breeze
its very versatile for home use. I can cut fish, pork, and even chicken if I want
But I usually advocate people to use whatever knife they are comfortable with, as long as they know how to use it
There’s no rule on a style of knife you have to use to make sushi, the only rule is to have a sharp knife
Even a regular chef knife will do the job, as long as its sharp
But if you want to make sushi every weekend, then yea, invest in a mid-level knife
because it’ll make the job easier and a good knife will last for a lifetime
Depending on the type of fish you’re working with, you can eat it with the skin on or off
For this one, I’m going to make the nigiri sushi without the skin and I’m going to sear the skin for sashimi
Sometimes with smaller fish, you can leave the skin on
but you gotta torch it or flash it with boiling water or else its going to be like chewing gum
The trick is to torch it before you fillet it, so the meat doesn’t roll up, or else this will happen
So this is the side I previously torched on
If you'll notice the filet sits nice and flat on the board
It doesn't roll up like the previous one you saw
Alright guys, I’m going to stop talking and let the rest of the video play out
As always thanks for watching, If this is your first time seeing one of my videos
I hope you enjoyed it and please subscribe for more!