Brian McDermott
Member
Is there some place to take your fish to be fileted and vacuum packed I suck at fileting
Fileting fish
- Thread starter Brian McDermott
- Start date
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
You cant always take your fish in or rely on others to do it. It’s part of fishing. 
Lots and lots of how to videos on youtube. Salmon are sooo easy once you get it. i see so many guys hack the head right off their fish....
Well, IMO you just cut off the” handle.” After fish is gutted and cleaned ,With one hand, i hold the head and gills and make my first cut following the gill plate with the other hand. then turn the blade edge horizontal and follow the spine down to the tail. flip and repeat. ribs can be tricky but take your time.
oh and knife has to be sharp...
Lots and lots of how to videos on youtube. Salmon are sooo easy once you get it. i see so many guys hack the head right off their fish....Well, IMO you just cut off the” handle.” After fish is gutted and cleaned ,With one hand, i hold the head and gills and make my first cut following the gill plate with the other hand. then turn the blade edge horizontal and follow the spine down to the tail. flip and repeat. ribs can be tricky but take your time.
oh and knife has to be sharp...
Robert
Member
Why gut and clean it if you are going to fillet it?
I find leaving the guts in makes filleting way easier. I prefer not to include the bones so I cut down to the back bone and with a sharp fillet knife, press down flat on the ribs and you can easily trim right down to the belly meat, and the guts give you support from the back side of the ribs. Once down to the anus, slide your knife all the way through and press down onto the spine and follow it out to the tail. Flip over and repeat.
Of note, it is much easier if you do not separate the first side completly from the belly until you have side two stripped down to the belly as well.
Practice makes perfect.....
Good luck Brian
I find leaving the guts in makes filleting way easier. I prefer not to include the bones so I cut down to the back bone and with a sharp fillet knife, press down flat on the ribs and you can easily trim right down to the belly meat, and the guts give you support from the back side of the ribs. Once down to the anus, slide your knife all the way through and press down onto the spine and follow it out to the tail. Flip over and repeat.
Of note, it is much easier if you do not separate the first side completly from the belly until you have side two stripped down to the belly as well.
Practice makes perfect.....
Good luck Brian
pescador
Well-Known Member
Last point. Great advice. I’ll try that. It’s always a ***** getting that second fillet off.
kingspring
Active Member
As said, another tip is to get the feel of where the backbone is. The point of tour fillet knife should bump it, then adjust angle of the knife slightly to slip over the backbone.
That’ll help with your feel of the whole thing.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
i agree except for the leaving the guts in part, but i guess it’s all in how you were taught. i was taught first by my dad who sucked at filleting so cut everything into steaks; and then properly by a FN woman who worked at the local fish packing plant.
the speed at which she could produce two perfect fillets still boggles my mind.
which reminds me of a trick she taught me: go down to the dollar store and buy a cheap squeegee. when processing your fish, squeegee off all the slime and water from your cleaning table. slap your fish down, and it will stick to the table like a suction cup and not slide all over the place.
Salmon Seeker
Crew Member
I always fillet on newspaper. it prevents the slip and keeps the table clean
fish brain
Crew Member
where are you located?
Stizzla
Crew Member
I don’t even gut them. Just take he whole fish, cut along the gill plate and fillet along the spine all the way to the tail, flip, and repeat.You cant always take your fish in or rely on others to do it. It’s part of fishing.
Well, IMO you just cut off the” handle.” After fish is gutted and cleaned ,With one hand, i hold the head and gills and make my first cut following the gill plate with the other hand. then turn the blade edge horizontal and follow the spine down to the tail. flip and repeat. ribs can be tricky but take your time.
oh and knife has to be sharp...
A GOOD knife makes an enormous difference. I bought a 9" Bubba this season & fillets improved immediately. I bought three lower cost knives last season & all are total crap. Shoulda just got a good one to start.
Pin bone pullers are cheap on Amazon & work WAY better than pliers from my tool box.
You're gonna hack up a few fish before you get good at it, but those ragged fillets taste just as good as the pretty ones. It won't take you long to get the hang of it.
I lay a towel on the counter to stop the fish from sliding around.
Pin bone pullers are cheap on Amazon & work WAY better than pliers from my tool box.
You're gonna hack up a few fish before you get good at it, but those ragged fillets taste just as good as the pretty ones. It won't take you long to get the hang of it.
I lay a towel on the counter to stop the fish from sliding around.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
He doesn’t gut his fish but after he renders the perfect halibut bait white belly trims to hamburger, he does open the belly cavity up allowing his blade to extend all the way out and past the fillet which is what i do. i use a very long blade
TheRock
Active Member
The slime and blood can give a bad taste to the meat. I always make sure the fish is scrapped and fully de slimmed/rinsed and gutted and blood free inside. The cleaning table and knife fully rinsed and clean before I will fillet a fish before I expose the unprotected meat. Each step rinse the table and knife. No blood or fish slime should never contact the raw flesh.
That first video of the guy filleting a salmon un cleaned should be what Not to Do!
That first video of the guy filleting a salmon un cleaned should be what Not to Do!
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
He also throws away the belly & the collar-the Best parts of the fish.
UkeeDreamin
Well-Known Member
Simple trick to get all the meat from the filleted carcass is to use a thin bladed spoon. Very easy to scrape 90+% of meat from above and below the spine such that nothing left behind. Thin scrapings fried in butter w/ garlic, salt and pepper is perfect for sandwiches or topping a salad.
Agree w/ above, collars and belly’s bbq’d or smoked - yum!!
Cheers!
Ukee
Agree w/ above, collars and belly’s bbq’d or smoked - yum!!
Cheers!
Ukee
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