Best way to bleed a sturgeon?

[Freakwater]

Sturgeon virgin here. Just caught my first a couple of weeks ago and looking forward to Jan. 1st. A couple of questions.....

1. Seems like bleeding the fish is the way to go. What is the best method?

2. There was a post recently on how to clean a sturgeon and Jocose posted a great link with pix. What is the deal with the spinal chord removal? What are the consequences of accidentally cutting the spinal chord if you don't remove it first?

3. The only time I've ever had sturgeon, it was home canned. It was delicious. Do any of you can sturgeon? If not, do you freeze? smoke?

Thanks,
Freak

[outdoor.spec.ops]

Our family has canned sturgeon before, and some was very good. The greens do not can as well as the whites in my opinion. My brother smokes his for a few hours, then pressure cans it, and it is good that way too.

[5-Cents]

Best way to bleed them is cut their gills and let them bleed out while tied off in the water. We cut ours about 45 minutes before we are going to head in. Keep them on a rope tied off on the side of the boat until it is time to do the deed, this keeps the meat fresher.

I was told the spine thing is a wives tale by the guys at Sturgeon Tom's in Warrenton. Cut the head, scutes and fins off. Slit the belly and gut. Run your fillet knife down one side, then the other side of the spine, you should be left with two long fillets. Cut a notch in the tail end of each fillet so you can get a grip then skin them by running your knife between the skin and the meat. Make sure to trim off all the red colored fat as it tastes really fishy.

As far as a cooking fish goes I think sturgeon makes the best fried fish and chips on earth. Cut them in thin fish stick size pieces, egg wash, bread crumbs, throw them in hot oil until brown on both sides and eat! Yum!

[SturgeonKing50]

I just stick the old fillet knife in the vent hole into the backbone. I know it sounds bad but it works ral well. Like 5 cents said do it 45 minutes or so before you go in.They will bleed right out. And again make sure and trim all the red meat (fat) off.

[Tanner]

Originally posted by 5 Cents

As far as a cooking fish goes I think sturgeon makes the best fried fish and chips on earth.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Then you obviously have not had fish and chips made with WALLEYE. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmgooood :grin:

[fishbait]

For the past 3-4 years I have been soaking my sturgeon in whole milk for about 24 hours and then I finish processing it to freeze. It tenderizes the meat. This process was also validated when I gave a freind a few pieces and told her to ignore the white stuff that it was just left over milk, and then she said great that she would not have to soak it. She learned this while living in HongKong for 4 years, soaks all her white meated fish and shellfish. If smoking I do not soak it. I think there are some threads on sturgeon recipies in the archives. Enjoy.....

[Salmonator]

I've found that bleeding (not bonking) immediately is best for tender fish. The longer they are allowed to live on the rope the tougher they will be. At least that has been our observation. We learned the hard way with a guide years ago. Two fish roped in the morning, finally bled and filleted hours later and the finished product was nearly too tough to eat.

[Waterfish]

5-Cents, Why do you gut them? Hopefully I will catch my first keeper in January, and then I will need to know how to clean them. The reason I ask about gutting is that I watched a sturgeon fishing demonstration at the last Sportsmans' show. If I remember right, the guy did everything as you described, but I don't think he gutted the fish.

[rileyusmc]

5-cents got to disagree!
the best way to bleed a sturgeon is to cut from the anus into the main vien about 1 1/2 inches.
tye them om a rope,and for the first hour stick your finger in the hole you made and knock out the blood clots about every 20 minitues.After that do the same about once an hour. this draws ALL the blood from the meat into the organs to try and keep the fish alive.If you cut the gilss like a salmon they bleed too fast and the meat retains blood. My way they come out T-shirt whit and are the best tasting thing I have ever eaten for fish!Then it's either deep fry or "poor mans lobster"

[FSH4EVR]

Easier than slitting the gills (and safer too) is to cut the underside behind the vent almost to the center. They will bleed out nicely and you wont break your blade or cut yourself when they start to thrash about.