How to Clean and Fillet a Northern Pike

Cleaning a large game fish like a Northern pike can be challenging. Known as ""water wolves," these fresh water denizens, some of which weigh over 40 pounds, challenge experienced fishermen with their strength and sharp teeth and are considered dangerous predators in many areas. They have a mild, white flesh and are delicious planked or grilled over an open fire. Choose one of a number of ways to clean and fillet this creature, depending on its size.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Northern pike
• Fish knives
• Sea or kosher salt
• Waxed paper
• Cooler with ice or freezer

1. Make a top fillet if your pike is very large. Cut down on top of the fish just behind and on top of the head. Cut just until you feel the backbone, then turn the blade of the knife toward the tail and slice along the backbone to the lateral fin. Then remove the knife and cut down from the top of the fish to remove the fillet.

2. 
    

   Cut in on the side of the fish behind the gills just until you feel bone. Turn the knife and peel off the fillet along the rib cage all the way down to the tail. Remove the knife and cut down at the tail to remove the fillet. Repeat on the other side of the fish.

3. Remove the y-bone. Lay the fillet down and start tapping until you find the y-bone. It should be along the ribs running along the thickest part of the fillet, about a third of the distance between the backbone and the belly. Frequently you can see the y-bone in the flesh as you carve the fillet from the side of the fish. Run your knife tip very lightly down along the top of this bone, curving upward toward the backbone. Do this several times to loosen the flesh from the y-bone. Then repeat under the y-bone, tilting the knife down toward the belly-side of the fillet. The y-bone should lift right out.

4. Remove the skin from your fillets by laying the fillet skin side down and running your knife between the flesh and the inner side of the skin from tail end to head end. Press on the skin and hold your knife on a low angle, being careful not to cut into the meat of the fish.

Tips & Warnings

• Try rubbing some plain (sea salt or kosher salt) on your hands to help hold on to your slippery dinner guest.
• If you're brave and have some experience with an electric knife, try a way that's quick and leaves little waste. Cut into the side of the pike behind the gill and slice down along the ribcage to just before the tail. Then flip the fillet and lay it out flat and continue your cut to skin the fillet. Do this on both sides of the fish.
• Digging out y-bones can be a problem if you're cooking lakeside. You can cook your fish and remove the y-bones from a properly cooked fillet quite easily as the meat becomes firm on both sides.
• Northern pike teeth are very sharp. Be careful handling this large fish.
• Don't try to fillet one of these monsters with a dull knife. Use a very sharp knife and be careful.

Resources

• Cleaning Northern pike