Feb 15th, 2009 by Kevin

How To Fillet.

    If you’ve read my other articles, you should be just coming off a boat full to the gunwales with fish.  Now while I am a strong supporter of catch-and-release, and indeed 99% of my fishing is, I do tend to keep a few to cook up each year.  Here is the best way to prepare most fish:

    Here is my preferred method because it is simple, limits waste, and maximizes the size of the fillet.

 

Step 1: The First Cut  

    Taking the blade of your knife, place it directly behind the pectoral fin of the fish and cut down until you hit the spine.

Step 2: Head-to-Tail

    Now that the blade has cut to the spine, while keeping the blade of the knife in the meat of the fish, turn the blade sharply towards the tail.  You may hear a “crack” of the first rib of the fish.  Perfect.  Now, using the spine of the fish as a guide, rock the knife back and forth all the way to the tail using the spine as a guide.  This will keep all internal organs undisturbed and also prevent you from taking any undesirable meat, such as that of the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins.  Be careful you do not shave any bone off of the spine during this step.

Step 3: Repeat 

    Now flip the fish over and repeat Steps 1 and 2.

Step 4: Remove Ribs

    Almost done.  Now, take the rough fillets and use your knife to slice away the rib cage.  Try to salvage as much meat as possible, but be careful to not leave any ribs behind.  I usually leave the skin on to cook the fillets on the grill.  The skin keeps the meat intact while you’re cooking but it will still flake away easily on the plate.

    You now have two beautiful fillets.  It’s that easy! 

Cleaning  

    Now, I usually fillet a fish with a bowl of fresh water on the side to wash away any blood or scales left over from the cut.  When washing the meat remember that the more you rub the meat, the more oil and flavor you remove from the meat. For oily fish however, such as bluefish, it is best to prepare the meat as soon as possible.  The longer you wait to fillet an oily fish, the longer the oils have to permeate into the meat.  When washing bluefish meat, I rub it with fresh water and then blot it with a paper towel.  This will limit its “fishiness.” 

    Another important note to cleaning a fish is, if you are not planning on cooking the meat immediately, try to remove as much surface water as possible before freezing the fillets as any residual moisture from the cleaning process may lead to “freezer burn."- 

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