Thursday, July 28, 2011

Striped Bass Day 7/27

Today Bruce informed us today would be Stripe Bass Day! Usually the culmination of the course we didn't have to wait! I was struck by the size of the fish also by the entire process in order go get that fish. You fish to get fish to catch another fish...

I have never looked at a fish in so much detail, I learned that scales can tell the age of the bass. The scales felt like very flimsy fingernails. The lips did feel like a toothbrush and I noted that the raspy part was not only on the inner lip and also further into the mouth. It also looked like two tongues when looking into the mouth. The lips were very strong and yet the parts holding on to it were soft and rubbery.

I thought the colors were very spectacular, green with a hint of brown and a beautiful pattern running along the body. It had a white belly and 8 dark fins. There were remnants of a crab in his belly and not much else. I could observe bile once the belly was cut open and I noticed a part that looked like the liver and then a dark brown rusty almost black looking part that could possibly be the spleen. We also cut into the air pocket and it deflated like a balloon it was very interesting to see. The smell was pretty awful once we started to cut in. The eyeball came out in one piece and I realized a fishes eye isn't actually the flat disc I always thought it was.

Tasting the fish was much better than dissecting it. The ceviche was yum but the best was the raw fish with soy sauce. It was a clean flavorful bite without any of the fishy taste. It wasn't too rubbery and the texture was actually pretty good. As I took home the fish I knew I had to bring it to work with me. I stopped somewhere for an hour before going into work and so I couldn't wait to get my fish into the refrigerator. That's where it stayed until very late because I had to go out to do some service work at a treatment center so I didn't get back to my fish for awhile. Once I did I was a little nervous to eat it again because it had been out for awhile before getting to the fridge. I then decided to prepare it at home and I found two very sharp bones in it. Sharper than any fish bone I have ever encountered I'm glad I checked it because I then cut it up and fed it to my dog who enjoyed it very very much. It was still easy to work with and the color had changed only because the blood had covered the piece but after washing it it cleared off again.

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