Ikejime

[Ggiannig89]

http://luckypeach.com/guides/how-to-perform-ike-jime/

I watched a Japanese program with subtitles while I was in Hawaii a few months back and it was about ikejime. Are any of you guys using this method? The method in the link seems to be the long route. The main thing is severing the spine and destroying the nervous system. I keep meaning to bring a wire out with me while fishing but haven't remember yet. I love eating my fish and quality is important.

[King Saba]

It works. Even simply bleeding fish out makes a world of difference as far as preserving the freshness of the meat. Remember that the flesh of fish is very delicate so any additional stress that a fish experiences breaks down the structure and fibers of the meat. Ike-jime destroys the nervous system thus preventing the flesh from breaking down at a faster rate. I have this debate with my dad all the time. He holds firm in the belief that a live stressed out fish tastes fresher than a properly killed, bled, and chilled fish. It's like comparing factory farmed beef to wagyu.

[King Saba]

Since we're on the topic, where can a guy get some cheap stainless steel wire for ike-jime? I've seen some online made specifically for the practice. BUT, the prices were too much for my frugal-self.

[FullFlavorPike]

Piano wire maybe? Not sure if it's SS though.

[GTboosted]

From the article it appears you need to let the fish rest for a while affer fighting it so it dissipates the lactic acid in the muscles... I don't think we can keep any of our game fish alive for the specified time in our tiny livewells...

I guess the next best thing is to bleed them after bringing them up.

[PapaDave]

That's interesting, I usually keep the fish alive as long as possible from experience. I always thought the fish tasted better when I did that.