On 2 Jul 2005 20:50:36 -0700, "forrestmouth" >
wrote:

>I can't speak to cleaning a live fish specifically for sushi/sashimi,
>but I've cleaned plenty of fish in my time (live and dead) and I've
>done it the same way. Some of the fish I cleaned was used as sushi and
>I was never shown a special way to prepare it (I used to work in a
>seafood department). I would think that the most important thing would
>be to start with a clean, sanitized work area and make sure that
>everything used in the cleaning, storing and serving process were
>clean. A sharp knife is also important. Depending on the particular
>fish, scissors or a glove may also help (see below). With a live fish
>your are going to have lots of blood and will need a lot of water.
>
>When cleaning a live fish, the first step is to stun/kill it by hitting
>it in the head several times with a heavy object. Some sporting
>goods/fishing supply stores sell specialized clubs but anything
>(rolling pin, smal bat etc.) will do. You're aiming for the brain,
>which is usually a little bit behind the eyes (but don't bash its head
>to an unrecognizeable pulp). When the fish is stunned (you'll know
>because it will stop flopping, although if you don't stun it hard
>enough it may start flopping again) you can clean it like you would any
>other fish. Assuming this is for sushi/sashimi, you'll be making
>fillets. Once you've got the fillets be sure to wash away any
>blood/bile/scales.
>
>The glove will help you grasp it if it is a particularly slippery
>species and if you are cleaning a fish with spines, you may want to cut
>them with the scissors.
>
>-FM
Thanks. I've been fishing and cleaning fish for over 40 years, but
I've never cleaned one with intentions of eating it raw. I've seen
instructions for cleaning fish for raw consumption, but I don't recall
where I saw this. The method was quite different than what I'm used
to. If I recall correctly, the gut was avoided almost completely. I
imagine this is to avoid bacteriological contamination from the waste
tract of the fish. I am hoping that someone will offer the Japanese
method used specifically for cleaning fish used for raw consumption.

Thanks again for your advice.