How to Clean a Fish

August 10, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Tid Bits & News at 9:41 am |

Cleaning Fish.gif I came across a very helpful article today on how to clean all the fish you’ve been catching this summer. I’ve seen & read many takes on the fishy task, but this one is the best by far.

“Summer is a great time to catch fresh fish and the best time to eat fish is within hours of your catch. First, you need to butcher the fish into fillets - even if you are planning to freeze for later use.

To begin, slice open the stomach and remove entrails. Next, using a chef’s knife, cut down to the backbone just behind the gills, keeping the head intact. Turn the knife towards the tail and cut from head to tail using small strokes.

The knife should be against the backbone to ensure maximum amount of flesh is yielded. At the tail, cut the fillet free from the bones and repeat on the other side. The knife will cut through the pin bones and once fillet is free these need to be removed with tweezers or needle-nose pliers.

Also trim the rib bones from the finished fillet. If you wish the remove the skin, place fillet on a cutting board, slice a small slit in the tail end where the skin meets the flesh. Grab the skin with a towel for a better grip and, positioning the knife so that it is slightly angled toward the skin, slice in long sawing strokes to the head fillet.

Remove any remaining skin. At this point, you can store the fillet whole or portion it off into smaller steaks.

I think I may have been butchering my fish before I read this post. Next up- Grilled Corn & Fish Chowder recipe post.

Eat well & Laugh often!

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