Using up all the fish scraps

Evan B

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
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Over the past few years I've been working on making use of fish parts often thrown away. Was curious if any others have found creative ways to not waste them.

One recent addition to my methods is to make dog treats. Two best for this have been the scraps I trim off of tuna loins (pictured below) and halibut skin in the dehydrator for dog treats.

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@Evan B,

Good idea. Please keep in mind that there is a bacteria carried by Salmonids that can cuase dogs serious sickness and possibly death. About 25 years or so ago, my father in laws' beautiful Golden Lab got this after licking a big brooder trout I caught up near Mt. Hood. It was one lick only but it transferred to her and in a day, she was on her deathbed. Luckily, our Vet figured it out in time and saved her, but she lost a chunk of her intestines as a result. It was the first documented case of this infection in my area of Oregon.

The way the Vet explained it, the infection wasnt just because the fish was a hatchery fish. It occurrs naturally in Salmonoids also. Hopefully, someone smarter than I can add good info/some ways to mitigate the chance of infection/sme signs to look for on the fish, etc.

Bob
 
Draketake said:
@Evan B,

Good idea. Please keep in mind that there is a bacteria carried by Salmonids that can cuase dogs serious sickness and possibly death. About 25 years or so ago, my father in laws' beautiful Golden Lab got this after licking a big brooder trout I caught up near Mt. Hood. It was one lick only but it transferred to her and in a day, she was on her deathbed. Luckily, our Vet figured it out in time and saved her, but she lost a chunk of her intestines as a result. It was the first documented case of this infection in my area of Oregon.

The way the Vet explained it, the infection wasnt just because the fish was a hatchery fish. It occurrs naturally in Salmonoids also. Hopefully, someone smarter than I can add good info/some ways to mitigate the chance of infection/sme signs to look for on the fish, etc.

Bob
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Yeah salmon is something to be very careful with. Dogs can safely have cooked salmon, and my main method of sharing salmon with the dogs is to making a sort of salmon stock. I put the bones and scrap meat bits in boiling water, remove the bones and can the broth / meat mixture. Makes a nice addition to their dry food.
 
In the restaurant lately weve been making pil pil... whole halibut carcass (cleaned, minus fins), rinsed in salt water, confit with garlic and chilis.

Theres a paste that forms under the confit oil, and that is emulsified with the confit oil to make the pil pil. It has a subtle but deeply fishy taste and the texture of aioli.

I havent tried it with other fish but I think it would work too.
 
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Evan B said:
Over the past few years I've been working on making use of fish parts often thrown away. Was curious if any others have found creative ways to not waste them.

One recent addition to my methods is to make dog treats. Two best for this have been the scraps I trim off of tuna loins (pictured below) and halibut skin in the dehydrator for dog treats.

View attachment 136519
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We put all the fish bits except the skulls into the pressure cooker with other kitchen scraps (chicken skins, greens, carrot peels), beans and rice. Cook everything down until the bones are dissolved and then supplement their dry food with the mush.
I’ve found that it’s best to put the cooker outside.
 
Little Fork said:
We put all the fish bits except the skulls into the pressure cooker with other kitchen scraps (chicken skins, greens, carrot peels), beans and rice. Cook everything down until the bones are dissolved and then supplement their dry food with the mush.
I’ve found that it’s best to put the cooker outside.
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Yeah I keep me dehydrator outside. Less for the fish and more for the peppers I dehydrate each fall. Those things become weaponized.
 
I freeze salmon carcasses and bury them deep in my tomato beds each year. Make stock with rockfish/lingcod carcasses. I’ve smoked salmon carcasses, collars and bellies. Or I’ll scrape the meat off the bone with a spoon and add it to fried rice or salmon cakes.

I have a hard time throwing away usable fish so I freeze most of my scraps. I’ve saved a bunch of tuna bloodline with the intent of turning it into cat food and or crab bait. All of my smelt heads and squid heads are frozen for crab bait too but I haven’t tested the fish scrap bait method yet to see if it works well.

My GF fed her cats some squid heads last week. Not that I recommend doing this, but it was pretty entertaining to watch their reactions.

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G_Smolt said:
I magically turn fish scraps into crustaceans.
View attachment 136762

Freeze the scraps in mesh baitbags, makes for a more compact n flavorful treat for yer crab friends. As a bonus, if you are on a hot bottom, it takes longer for the fleas to reduce the mass of a solid block.
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Well, some of us are allergic to said crustaceans, so my solutions require more creativity.
 
Cook and freeze for dog food or freeze raw for crab bait.

I have never found fish to be better than poultry for crab bait. I use it in addition to chicken or turkey.

I have never really tried to make fish stock from finned fish. I gotta believe that a man could do that as well.
 
Major bummer for you guys being allergic! My mouth is watering just looking at this v v v !
G_Smolt said:
I magically turn fish scraps into crustaceans.
View attachment 136762

Freeze the scraps in mesh baitbags, makes for a more compact n flavorful treat for yer crab friends. As a bonus, if you are on a hot bottom, it takes longer for the fleas to reduce the mass of a solid block.
Click to expand...
 
SilverFly said:
Major bummer for you guys being allergic! My mouth is watering just looking at this v v v !
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Honestly, if I had to pick one seafood to be allergic to, it'd be crab. Not that I dislike it, I just don't find it worth the effort.
 
Evan B said:
Honestly, if I had to pick one seafood to be allergic to, it'd be crab. Not that I dislike it, I just don't find it worth the effort.
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SilverFly said:
Blasphemy! ;)
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Paige said:
Ditto 😁 😂

I could eat Dungeness crab every day!!!
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I mean the guy thinks Central American coffee is the best coffee so that automatically disqualifies his opinion from mattering; that is, except for the other things that we do agree with him on, of course.
 
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