"Why?", you may ask. It turns out, my kind neighbour Eddie had given me fresh fish. Being the frugalista that I am, I couldn't turn them down. I became the recipient of TWELVE mackerel, which I gutted, cleaned and cooked, for the FIRST TIME in my life! I am so proud of me.
I put on very long rubber gloves, spread an empty grocery bag on the table, and stuck the knife into the small hole in the underbelly of the fish. I had seen my father do it often enough. However, from that point on I had to deviate from standard practice, otherwise I would have ended up chucking all those mackerel into the garbage!
My stomach heaved whenever I saw the entrails. I kept gagging and gagging. Silly really. As a mother, I have cleaned up more disgusting stuff than fish guts. It HAS been a long time though. With time, you forget all those wonderful mothering moments. :)
However, I k-n-e-w I was going to be sick if I continued. Soooooooooo.... I stuck my hands into the bag, and more or less gutted the fish as if I were blind. Then I withdrew my hands, saw what I had missed, and removed those really STUBBORN, clingy, slimy, small parts off quickly.
My "Rabid, Politically INCORRECT" brother, (His words.. NOT mine!) was sweet enough to package up all the entrails for the garbage. They are sitting in my freezer, awaiting pick-up day.
Voilà! The fruits of my labour - a delicious dinner for RPI bro and me; a true Maritime feast.
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