# Fillet?



## The Park (Jun 25, 2006)

Is it easy to fillet a fish?

And if so where or how can I learn to do it.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Observe any public cleaning table on a pier, marina etc.


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Ditto what Lip said. To describe in text doesn't really do it justice. You can learn much more from observing and then attempting (butchering  ) a fish yourself until you get it down.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

Filleting is not hard... the best way, as mentioned above... is have someone else teach you. I would do a google search, I am sure you can find something that'll help you. 

First thing, you need a sharp, flexible fillet knife... a boning knife or slicer will work as well if it has some flex to it. I would suggest a Dexter-Russel fillet knife... good quality, and great edge on there knives... great price as well. Great deal for a beginner. If anyone else is looking for a good quality knife and is willing to drop the jack... Henckel and Wusthof are the way to go. I would suggest a 5-7" knife... a 10" slicer is the way to go for tuna, halibut, etc.

You want to cut on a flat surface, and use long strokes when you are cutting... you don't want to 'saw' at the meat... let the knife do the work. While skinning, you shouldn't have to saw much a t all... just pull the skin under the blade... again, let the knife do the work. 

It's easy stuff... just takes some practice. I learned from my father at 12yrs. old... he'd gimme his buck knife, walk me around the side of the house, do one for me... and let me 'fillet' the rest... It took me awhile to get it down, but I can still clean a flounder and striper with a buck knife


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## The Park (Jun 25, 2006)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the advice.

If you see a guy starring at you while you fillet a fish it will probably be me.


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## Dudnossoz (Aug 4, 2006)

Great information


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

The Park said:


> Is it easy to fillet a fish?
> 
> And if so where or how can I learn to do it.


Yes, some kind of fish. No, other kinds of fish....

You need 3 things; a sharp knife, a sharp knife, and a sharp knife. Doesn't matter if it's a Chef's Catalog knife or a Walmart knife, it's not going to stay sharp, so you need to learn how to sharpen it. Google "Lansky" or "DMT". You should be able to shave your arm with a sharp fillet knife, if you can't, it's not sharp. You can clean fish with an inexpensive fillet knife, you just have to sharpen it more often.

Some fish are easy to clean, for example, bluefish and trout. Cut a fillet out of each side, skin it, trim it up, and you're done. Other fish, like flounder or sheepshead, require a little more work.

Never cut bones or cut the head off a fish with your fillet knife - use a second knife to do things that will dull the knife. 

I agree that watching someone else clean fish is a good way to learn. Problem with that is that a good majority of people who clean fish don't know how to do it, so watching them isn't much help. 

If you see a guy filleting fish, and it takes him about 45 seconds from the first cut until he's done the fish, watch him. If you see a guy that takes 10 minutes to clean one fish, don't watch him  

Probably the best guy to watch is the guy at the seafood market....

There are different ways to clean the same fish; some people scale the fish, cut the head off, and gut the fish. Other people fillet the fish, and then skin the fillets (my favorite method).

Here's the best pictures I could find to show you how the basic fillet it/skin it method works:

http://www.fishingcairns.com.au/page17-1.html

Be careful, don't fillet your fingers. Fish are slippery, learn a method that keeps the knife going away from your hands. You may also want to invest in a fish cleaning glove, ten bucks at Walmart; use it until you are comfortable with the knife and your cleaning method.

I'd also recommend that you skip the public cleaning tables, they are notorious for growing all kinds of little crawly things that you wouldn't want to eat.


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Couple things I would add are scaling the fish a little at the first slice into the fillet, few swipes against the grain of the scales with the back of the knife will save the edge of the knife a lot.

As mentioned earlier, be careful, fish are slippery. A sharp fillet knife and proper technique should prevent much difficulty in holding the fish, but if you have trouble in the begining, a nail in ur cleaning board to put through the head will work. To prevent hazzard or easy to cleaning, drill a hole out and put the nail in instead of driving it in.


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Go on a bottom fishing boat and watch
the mates as they fillet hundreds of 
fish on the way back in. You should
be able to do it in your sleep after that.


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