How to Fillet a Fish

Most of you already know that I live on an island and some of you may know that my father is a Commercial Fisherman. This means that when my dad goes fishing, there's a chance that he might bring home some of his fresh catch, which is always a treat. Unfortunately, fish do not come out of the water looking like they do in the seafood markets or grocery stores. If you want to eat the fresh fish, you're going to have to clean it and fillet it. If you already know how to do this, you can quit reading now and come back tomorrow for a yummy and healthy recipe. If you don't already know how to fillet a fish, continue to read on!

 

For this tutorial, we're using Flounder. And I'm going to go ahead an apologize for the cruddy photos... I didn't realize that the lighting was so terrible. Whoops!

 

 

Step 1: Descale the Flounder. Since we're not skinning the fish, we need to remove the scales, because they are definitely not tasty. Lay the fish on its side. Using a fish scaler or a dull knife, scrape the fish until all of the scales are gone. Scrape from head to tale. Flip the fish over and do the same on the other side.

 

 

Step 2: With a fillet knife, make two deep cuts just behind the gills (one on each side). These cuts should be about halfway through the thickness of the fish.

 

 

Step 3: Make a long cut down the center of the fish.

 

 

Step 4: Using the tip of the knife, separate the flesh from the bones, as pictured below. The fish should separate fairly easily. 

 

 

Finish cutting away the fillets by moving the knife along the bottom of the fillet, while lifting and separating.

 

 

Trim the fillet as necessary.

 

 

Step 5: Turn the flounder over and repeat steps 2-4 on the other side of the fish.

 

 

Now, stare in awe at your hard work and start thinking about how you're going to cook it.

 

 

There are many options... baked, broiled, pan fried, deep fried, etc. I love baking or grilling with butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.