since I stink at cleaning fish I figured I would ask my fellow TKFers what they do. Does anybody have a link or recommendations for the best way to filet reds, specs, and flounder? I am sure everyone uses elctric knives for fileting fish. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have been leaving too much meat on my fish.
Tight Lines------
Cleaning my Fish
I think it is difficult to explain a good way to filet a fish with out seeing it done. The best place to learn how to filet fish well, and it is what I did, is to go to a fish cleaning stand and find one of the guys that does it for a living or to make extra cash. For $20 you will get a lesson from from a person that is real good at it. I did the same thing at a meat plant and a game processing place to learn how to process my own meat. If you want to see how to do something better always go to the best.
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Spuds (Piscator Eximius)
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Most people try and filet fish with a cheesy little Rapala filet knife that is more appropriate for anchovies.
I don't particularly care for using an electric knife. The trick is to get a big industrial size fillet knife with some backbone. At the Reliant fishing show in January, there was a guy with a booth selling used commercial fillet knives. I got one for about $7 and it is the best fillet knife I've ever had.
I don't particularly care for using an electric knife. The trick is to get a big industrial size fillet knife with some backbone. At the Reliant fishing show in January, there was a guy with a booth selling used commercial fillet knives. I got one for about $7 and it is the best fillet knife I've ever had.
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Joe Guilbeau
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Filleting fish
Been doing it for many, many, many years...about 4 decades to be precise...
Electric Fillet knife is the ticket....
Do not gut the fish, no need to, just ice them down upon catching and they will be fine, otherwise, you will need to gut and gill them.
Here is how it is done....
Take the fish and the electric fillet knife and (since I am right handed) lay the fish belly to-wards you with its head to the left.
At the pectoral fins (just behind the head) place the fillet knife just aft of this fin, and angle to-wards the head to get all of the meat near the "neck" of the fish. The fillet knife will be parallel to the work surface.
Keying the trigger, make a cut straight down to the backbone without cutting thru either the backbone or the fins at the top of the fish.
Then make a right hand turn by rotating your wrist counterclockwise 90 degrees.
The cutting edge of the blades are now facing the tail of the fish, and you just slide the blade along (bumping up and down along the individual knots on the spinal cord) while ensuring that the tip of the knife is staying this side of the top fins(ie...don't cut through the back fins), and just work your way to the tail section...but do not cut all the way thru to the end of the tail...leave a two inch section intact and now just flip the fillet with the skin side attached over the tail (when you get more proficient at this the blade does the work of flipping) and now begin to let the fillet knife push against the skin that is laying against the work surface.
If you did it perfect, there will be no gastrointestinal products, as you skimmed outside the bladders and intestines. Now just run the blade at almost flat against the work surface to remove the meat from the skin side.
You will be grasping the area just in front of the tail with your left hand and pushing down and sliding the knife edge against the skin beneath against the work surface. Just slide the knife straight away from the tail section and there will only be the skin left on the table.
Now remove the rib bones with a deft semi circular cut and one fillet is done, this is done by laying the fillet skin side down (I know you just removed the skin, but this explanation is easy to visualize) and the belly side away from you. Place your fingers on the fillet and use them to feel the bones of the rib cage (these are always the one's that get caught in kids and pets throats). Just cut straight down and go along the belly where these bones are and cut them completely out, you can save this belly with the bones still in them for bouillabaisse, or freeze a bunch of them for fish and corn chowder with New Mexico Hatch Chilies.
Flip the fish over and repeat...start with the smalles fish and work your way up-wards to the largest fish...Reds and Trout all get the same treatment.
For Reds on the half shell, just cut the fillet out and leave the skin and scales on the fish, do not scale the fish!
Never scale the fish, unless you intend to present the skin as a visual attraction to the meal presentation.
That is all there is to it.
Electric Fillet knife is the ticket....
Do not gut the fish, no need to, just ice them down upon catching and they will be fine, otherwise, you will need to gut and gill them.
Here is how it is done....
Take the fish and the electric fillet knife and (since I am right handed) lay the fish belly to-wards you with its head to the left.
At the pectoral fins (just behind the head) place the fillet knife just aft of this fin, and angle to-wards the head to get all of the meat near the "neck" of the fish. The fillet knife will be parallel to the work surface.
Keying the trigger, make a cut straight down to the backbone without cutting thru either the backbone or the fins at the top of the fish.
Then make a right hand turn by rotating your wrist counterclockwise 90 degrees.
The cutting edge of the blades are now facing the tail of the fish, and you just slide the blade along (bumping up and down along the individual knots on the spinal cord) while ensuring that the tip of the knife is staying this side of the top fins(ie...don't cut through the back fins), and just work your way to the tail section...but do not cut all the way thru to the end of the tail...leave a two inch section intact and now just flip the fillet with the skin side attached over the tail (when you get more proficient at this the blade does the work of flipping) and now begin to let the fillet knife push against the skin that is laying against the work surface.
If you did it perfect, there will be no gastrointestinal products, as you skimmed outside the bladders and intestines. Now just run the blade at almost flat against the work surface to remove the meat from the skin side.
You will be grasping the area just in front of the tail with your left hand and pushing down and sliding the knife edge against the skin beneath against the work surface. Just slide the knife straight away from the tail section and there will only be the skin left on the table.
Now remove the rib bones with a deft semi circular cut and one fillet is done, this is done by laying the fillet skin side down (I know you just removed the skin, but this explanation is easy to visualize) and the belly side away from you. Place your fingers on the fillet and use them to feel the bones of the rib cage (these are always the one's that get caught in kids and pets throats). Just cut straight down and go along the belly where these bones are and cut them completely out, you can save this belly with the bones still in them for bouillabaisse, or freeze a bunch of them for fish and corn chowder with New Mexico Hatch Chilies.
Flip the fish over and repeat...start with the smalles fish and work your way up-wards to the largest fish...Reds and Trout all get the same treatment.
For Reds on the half shell, just cut the fillet out and leave the skin and scales on the fish, do not scale the fish!
Never scale the fish, unless you intend to present the skin as a visual attraction to the meal presentation.
That is all there is to it.
Last edited by Joe Guilbeau on Wed Jun 16, 2004 1:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Electric Water Boy
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never tried electric...that seems MORE difficult...faster maybe, but seems hard to get it all.
best advice I have is to go slow...don't try to get the whole filet with one long swipe...rather think of it as peeling back the meat and using the blade to release the meat from the bone where it sticks. you are almost "rolling" the meat off and slicing a bit at a time.
(I do seem to take longer than may fisherman...but since I rarely catch A LOT of fish, I like to make sure I get ALL of the filet).
VERY IMPORTANT: USE A SHARP BLADE.
best advice I have is to go slow...don't try to get the whole filet with one long swipe...rather think of it as peeling back the meat and using the blade to release the meat from the bone where it sticks. you are almost "rolling" the meat off and slicing a bit at a time.
(I do seem to take longer than may fisherman...but since I rarely catch A LOT of fish, I like to make sure I get ALL of the filet).
VERY IMPORTANT: USE A SHARP BLADE.
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Cajun Caster
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For redfish, I use Joe's described method. For trout, I prefer the belly cut technique seen on the video below.
<56K http://media.rodnreel.com:8080/ramgen/r ... lyCutLo.rm
>56K http://media.rodnreel.com:8080/ramgen/r ... lyCutHi.rm
The key is practice. You will mangle some fish when you are learning, but soon you will get the "feel" of the fish and it becomes almost instinctive.
<56K http://media.rodnreel.com:8080/ramgen/r ... lyCutLo.rm
>56K http://media.rodnreel.com:8080/ramgen/r ... lyCutHi.rm
The key is practice. You will mangle some fish when you are learning, but soon you will get the "feel" of the fish and it becomes almost instinctive.
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Animal Chris
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I have two knives I use to filet reds. Starting out, I use an electric or a smaller conventional filet knife to go down the sides and tail with, then I pick up a large breaker knife I use for the rib cages. Works like a charm. On one of Keith Warren's fishing tapes, there is an excellent demonstration of fileting redfish.
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Joe Guilbeau
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Flounder
http://www.cptdave.com/filet-flounder.html
Filet a flounder
http://king-o-coals.com/How%20to%20filet%20flounder.htm
another different way
http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=130390
HOw to debone a flounder
Filet a flounder
http://king-o-coals.com/How%20to%20filet%20flounder.htm
another different way
http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=130390
HOw to debone a flounder