How to Butterfly Yellow Perch

Yellow or ringed perch is found in Northeastern Unites States lakes.

Yellow perch are also called ringed perch. They are small, from 7 to 9 inches in length, and considered to be a delicacy because of their flavor. Yellow perch is caught in northern states, particularly around the Great Lakes. Butterfly fillets the meaty sides of the fish, held together by skin in the center. To butterfly perch or any other fish, you need a sharp, narrow, flexible fillet knife. Use a medium sized fillet knife, with about a 7-inch blade, for fish the size of yellow perch. Use a longer knife for larger fish. Does this Spark an idea?

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Fillet knife
Cutting board

Instructions

- 1
  
  Place the perch on its side on the cutting board. Insert your fillet knife under the fin near the gill and make a crosswise cut from the spine to the throat.
- 2
  
  Insert your knife at the top of the spine in the cut you just made, and slice down along the spine.
- 3
  
  Open the fish a bit and slice the meat away from the ribs down toward the ventral surface or stomach region.
- 4
  
  At the level of the anal fin wiggle your knife through to the anal opening and slice down to the tail. Leave the ventral skin intact.
- 5
  
  Open the fish. Turn it over. Put knife under the fin near the gill and cut across the fish. Slice the point of the knife along the spine, starting at the cut you made across the gill area. Peel the meat back, slicing the meat from the ribs, working toward the abdominal cavity. Push the knife through to the anal fin area. Finish slicing through to the tail.
- 6
  
  Pull the fillets and the ventral skin between them off the rest of the perch, leaving the spine, head, abdominal cavity and tail behind. The two fillets will be connected by the ventral skin.