How to Clean and Fillet Fish for Your Next Meal

Fish is one of the most wholesome foods that manaround the fins and remove them. Finally, rinse the fish
can eat. In fact, people have been eating fishbody and cavity under cold, running water. Now that
throughout human history. These days, many cooksthe fish has been properly cleaned, you can move on
yearn to add fish to their repertoire, but the wholeto filleting.
process of cleaning and filleting fresh fish is a littleBegin the fish filleting process by laying the fish on one
scary to them. The process of cleaning and filletingside and inserting your knife into the fish body almost
fresh fish is relatively simple once the steps areto the backbone. Guide your knife along the backbone,
understood.exposing the fillet as you cut. You will have to lift and
To begin, you must clean your fresh fish properly inseparate the flesh from the bone as you cut. Next,
order to maintain it's quality during the remaining stepsrepeat this process for the other side. Once you have
of processing. First, use a knife or fish scaling tool tocreated the two fish fillets, place them skin side down
remove all of the scales. Removing the scales early onand cut through the flesh next to the tail. Do not cut
is a key to easy fish cleaning. Next, remove the fishthrough the skin next to the tail, as you will hold onto
head by cutting just behind the first set of fins. Now,this skin as you separate the skin from the flesh. Insert
insert your sharp knife into the area where you justyour fillet knife between the flesh and the skin and use
removed the head and make a slit in the belly of thea back and forth motion to separate the two. Rinse
fish. You will want to slit the fish belly all the way downthe fillets with cold water and be sure to dry them
to the vent next to the tail. This should open up thebefore storing or using.
cavity of the fish and you can pull or cut away anyThese simple and easy steps are all that it takes to
viscera or organs from inside the fish. The next step ismake the most out of fresh fish. With these steps in
to cut away any additional fins that the fish may have.mind you can prepare fresh fish for any meal.
Do this by cutting into the fish in a circular motion