Many of us are used to buying our fish frozen or in a polystyrene tray, but there's something empowering about learning to fillet your own. It's not as hard as you might think, and nothing beats serving up fresh fish seafood that you cut yourself. Here's a handy guide to preparing the perfect fish fillet.
Choosing the right knife for filleting fish
The right tool is especially important for tricky tasks like breaking down fish. A filleting knife is long, thin, and sweeping with a narrow tip perfect for dealing with bones and the small parts of a fish. It's flexible, making it easier to cut around bones, and long enough to give you leverage when cutting inside a fish.
Prevent rust by getting a stainless steel blade, and keep it sharp at all times. A blunt edge is a sure recipe for kitchen accidents.
Preparing the fish for filleting
Start by rinsing your fish under cold water and patting it dry. Remove the scales using either a dedicated fish scaler or the back of your knife. Then remove the fins with scissors.
Finally, gut the fish. Slice from the tail to the head along the belly, remove the innards, and rinse the cavity. Now it's ready for filleting, but different types of fish require a different approach.
How do you fillet a salmon?
Canadians love the rich, buttery taste of salmon. This fatty round fish is perfect for BBQ fish recipes that bring out its buttery flavour, like our Cedar Plank Salmon dish.
Cut into the fish behind the gills with the sharp edge of your blade facing toward the head. When you reach the backbone, turn the blade towards the tail and cut flat along the body, keeping the knife as close to the bones as possible. Lift away the fillet and repeat the process on the other side before trimming them of any excess fat or bones.
Another option is to cut round fish crosswise into steaks, which are perfect for our Spicy Grilled Salmon with Tzatziki recipe. To do this, remove the head from the fish by slicing from either side behind the front-most side fin. Then simply cut the fish into steaks crosswise along its length, leaving the spine in to hold each steak together. You'll need a serrated knife for this.
You'll have a little flesh left near the tail after steaking salmon. Butterfly this by cutting it lengthwise, slicing around the backbone and laying the flesh flat, skin-down. Then cut out the backbone with sharp scissors.
How do you fillet a flat fish?
Flat fish like halibut lie flat on the sea floor. Unlike round fish like salmon, their flat bodies are asymmetrical, requiring a different filleting method. Halibut has a pale side that faces the sea floor and a darker side that faces upward. Its firm, lean meat is perfect for a recipe like these Lemon Herb Fish Bundles.
Start with the belly side. Cut crosswise across the head end of the fish, and then make a backbone-depth incision down the centre to the tail. You can then sweep your blade under that incision, flat across the inside of the fish, cutting through the edge to release the fillet. You'll get a fillet from either side of the backbone.
Turn the fish over and repeat, to produce four hefty fillets. That's plenty to try another dish like our Grilled Halibut with Pineapple.
How do you fillet a pike?
Canadians frequently visit the lake to catch pike, a long, skinny fish that takes some extra bone removal. Fillet it like a salmon, and cut away the belly meat and rib bones from each fillet, leaving the flesh of the fish underneath. Then, gently remove the line of Y-shaped bones in the middle of each fillet.
How do you fillet large fish?
It would be unusual for a consumer to fillet a large fish like swordfish from scratch. Instead, you'll likely get a cross-section of the fish from your fishmonger, which will be perfect for making Grilled Swordfish & Cauliflower Skewers with Gunpowder Spice. Divide the cross-section lengthwise into two centre loins. If you find a red blood line along the side, remove it. Then, you can cut each fillet crosswise into steaks.
Skin on or off?
Depending on the fish, and your tastes, you might want to remove the skin. Lay the fillet skin-down and hold your knife blade at an angle where the skin joins the flesh. Cut gently along the backside of the skin, under the flesh, and it'll come right off. When grilling round fish like salmon, though, we prefer to keep the skin on for a gorgeous crispy flavour.
Don't be daunted by the prospect of filleting fish. When you realize how easy and satisfying it is, you won't want to stop visiting the market and picking up fresh fruits of the sea.
More Delicious Fish Recipes
Here are more fish recipes to make good use of your fresh steaks and fillets.
