How to clean a fish.

[tubeN2]

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A lot of people ask us about the best way to clean fish, and our normal response is to ask them what they intend to do with them. Depending on your intended recipe, there are three primary ways to clean a fish.







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[font "Arial"]The first is to clean them for baking or grilling in foil. This essentially leaves them whole. You clean out the stomach cavity, remove the gills and surrounding tissue, and scale them. Leaving the head on is a personal choice and also dictated by the recipe. Most large bodied fish can be prepared this way, including grouper, redfish, and (our personal favorite) pompano. So-called "puppy" drum - immature versions of the clownlike giants we find under the Bay bridges are another great candidate for cleaning in this way. Snook don't qualify, by the way - leaving the skin on results in a distinctive soapy taste. Back in the days before someone tried stripping the skin off they were actually called "soapfish."[/font]

[font "Arial"]The next way to clean a fish is to turn it into steaks. Longer, more streamlined fish are better suited for steaking. Local species that are popular candidates for steak recipes are Kingfish, Mackeral, and Cobia (yummm!). Imports include swordfish (don't eat them!!! They're almost all dead!!!!) and wahoo (wonderful).[/font]

[font "Arial"]To steak a fish, clean out the stomach cavity, snip off all the fins (you can leave the tail to use as a handle), and start slicing vertically through the body just behind the gill plate. Keep about three vertebrae in each steak - keeping the steaks at least 4 inches thick to allow for proper cooking - you don't want them to get done too fast or they tend to dry out. Grilling, broiling, or smoking are the best way to prepare steaks. A great recipe for steaks is to mix any of your favorite salad dressings and a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Coat the steaks liberally with the mix and grill them close to the burner - fast and hot. We tend to like our fish somewhat rare, and this results in the equivalent of a "Pittsburgh" or "Black and Blue." Raw on the inside, burnt on the outside.[/font]

[font "Arial"]The third way is arguably the most complicated to learn, but unquestionably the most versatile when it comes to using the fish - and that's filleting. A well-done fillet results in totally boneless meat - which can be grilled, fried, cut into chunks, used in stews, you name it. There's nothing in the world like a good Snook or Redfish filet, except perhaps a flounder caught in the beautiful waters near the Skyway.[/font]

[font "Arial"]The filleting process essentially "skins" the meat off the bone. There are two ways to filet a fish - starting at the head or starting at the tail. Personally, I fillet from the tail to the head, but most people I know find it easier to start at the head and work back. That's the way we're going to describe.[/font]

[font "Arial"]We've included a few images with this article, which we hope will assist you in learning how to prepare a good filet. Doing it well is like anything else - it takes practice. Your first attempts are likely to result in a ragged, thin, and ripped piece of meat, with most of the flesh still on the carcass. As you practice, though, you'll get to the point where the only thing left are skin and bones - with a smooth, solid, and intact filet from each side of the fish's body.[/font][font "Arial"][size 2]

[/size][/font][font "Arial"]The first thing to know is how the fish is built, and where the filet comes from. Take a look at the image above and notice the gill plate. From both the top and side views, you'll also see the rib cage. The cage covers the contents of the stomach. It's a good idea not to cut into the stomach while you're filleting. The acids will affect the taste of the meat. Once you're done and have the meat off the bone, you should inspect the stomach to see what the fish was eating before he found your DOA shrimp. We always, always inspect the contents of the fish's stomach. We've found strange and wonderful things there.[/font]

[font "Arial"]In the keys about eight years ago, we caught a beautiful 50lb bull dolphin. When we cleaned him, we found a 5 lb "chicken" dolphin in his stomach. It was so fresh we filleted him too. They were both great.[/font]

[font "Arial"]In a redfish caught by the Howard Frankland Bridge, we found about a dozen horseshoe crabs - each about 1 inch across. We haven't figured out how to get them in a castnet, so we can't comment on their efficacy as bait. But we bet it would be great.[/font]



[font "Arial"]The first thing to do is make a cut from near the gill down to the backbone. There's a lot of bone and hard cartilage directly over the gills, so you'll have to find the first soft (fleshy) point behind the gill. Holding the fish's head, slice down into this soft spot at a slight angle towards the tail. Look at the anatomy picture - all fish are built roughly the same way.[/font]

[font "Arial"]Slide the knife through this cut until it passes from the head out the other side of the fish, near the pec fins. You need to turn the knife blade so that it's lying flat to the backbone.[/font]

[font "Arial"]Use a slight - very slight - sawing motion to slice the meat from the backbone towards the tail. Make a slight slice, and adjust the knife to make sure it's actually scraping the backbone. Keep adjusting and slicing until you've reached the tail. Don't separate the meat from the tail, though. Leave just enough skin intact to hold it in place. Flip the fish over, keeping the nearly separated filet underneath the body. This provides support for the backbone while you're cutting the second filet. If you remove it too early, the backbone sags to the table and makes the second filet more difficult to remove cleanly. When you've made both cuts, remove the filets from the tail (and hence the body).[/font]

[font "Arial"]If you're going to throw the fish carcass into the bay (which is just fine - lot's of things are just dying to munch on those great bones), make sure you poke the eyes to remove the fluid. Otherwise the fish will float to the surface. [/font]

[font "Arial"]Also, please break or cut up the carcass into several pieces. If a pelican gets one of these intact bony structures stuck in its pouch, it could very well be seriously injured or kill the hapless bird.[/font]

[font "Arial"]At this point, you'll have two, (hopefully) whole and well-manicured filets - with skin on one side.[/font]

[font "Arial"]In most cases, you'll want to remove the skin. One exception is redfish - try leaving the scales and skin on the fish, and roasting them on the barbeque skin side down. For some reason, the armor-like skin and scales hold moisture in the filet and makes for an incredibly tasty, juicy dinner. Simply sprinkle a little garlic on the meat side before you start, and add a little olive oil or butter (better) when it starts to get hot. Test for doneness - when it's ready it will flake off the skin easily.[/font][font "Arial"][size 2]

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[font "Arial"]To skin the filets, grab the tail side with your fingernails, and slide the knife between the skin and the meat for about four inches or so. Cut a small slit in this skin (along the long axis, tail to head) and stick your finger in it. It will serve well as a handle for holding the skin while you slice the meat off.[/font]

[font "Arial"]One last thing. Don't try this with a dull knife. Sharpen the knife before you start, and keep a steel handy for touching up the blade during the process. The knife will be dull after only two fish, so keep it sharp.[/font][/font]
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[icehole69]

[]Good, detailed post TubeN2[cool]
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[Bassmaster-ND]

Thanks for the tips.

I got a new electric fillet knife for christmas! Gotta give that thing a try soon!
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[tubeN2]

Hey there bass, where do you come up with those cool animated GIFs?
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[cat_man]

Hey TubeN2, there's a better way to get the skin off of a fillet if that's the way you're preparing the fish.

When you make the cut along the ribcage and back towards the tail, stop about 1/2 inch short of the tail and leave the fillet attached. Then flip it over the tail so it's extended out past the back of the tail. Then simply make a cut at the tail through the meat down to the skin -- but DON'T cut through the skin! Then you can slide the knife along the skin and remove the sking from the meat.

Doing it this way makes it a lot easier to grip the fish, becuase you have the tail and the entire body of the fish to hold on to while removing the skin. It gives you a lot more leverage and makes it easier especially to begin removing the skin.
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[tubeN2]

You are absolutely right. There's more than one way to skin a cat(oooops) fish. This method was acertained for the average beginning fisherman/woman. It does not include skinning a catfish, which is a whole different technique alltogether.[cool]
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[cat_man]

Skinning a catfish is something I've never done, nor do I ever intend to try. Much too tough. Too much effort. I'd rather eat a nice tasty perch or trout anyway!
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[Hutch00]

this is a real good job wit good details Thanks now I need one for flatfish like Flounder []
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[tubeN2]

I have a new Thread for you guys to see on Cats. I hope you like it.
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[FisherMOM]

[#000080][size 2]FIN-TASTIC!! Thank you! [/size][/#000080]

[#000080][size 2]I have been going to research how to clean a fish. I think I am keeping my first nice trouts this year. I also looked at the STUFFED TROUT recipes on the site! YUM to them too. Do you leave the bones in when you stuff them?[/size][/#000080]
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[davetclown]

and here all this time I thought if you wanted to clean fish all you had to do is draw a worm bath in the tub and add Mr. Bubbles [sly]

Tubn2 good article....

Fishermom, I beleive not only do you leave on the bones you also leave on the heads as well. With trout all you do is slit the gullet and remove the innards and then remove the gills from under the gill plate. (gills are an external organ)

If you ever happen to chance a taist of blackend trout give it a wherl, I could not make a diet of it but on ocation is a welcomed treat...
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[tubeN2]

Hey FisherMOM, Stuffed trout will requirre the bones to be left in. If you are to fillet the trout, then here is one more step to get all the bones out.

There is one more narrow section of bones in the fillet. you can feel them halfway between the ribcage and the top of the fillet. Once you remove this small strip then you can do your stuffed trout in the form of a roll up style.
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