If you want the cleanest, most delicious fillets possible, then you should bleed your fish. To do that, just cut through the artery between their gills and put them on ice.

Do you bleed out freshwater fish?

Remov- ing the fish's internal organs and gills slows down spoilage and may also prevent parasites from moving into the fish's flesh. If you can't gut the fish immediately, at least bleed it and chill it until you gut it later.

Can you bleed a dead fish?

Ideally, fish are stunned, bled, gutted and chilled as soon as possible. ... If you kill the fish before bleeding it, it won't bleed because its heart isn't beating. Halibut should be positioned “white side up” while bleeding.