How to Skin a Fish
You can skin fish before or after you cook it. Use this technique for round and flat fish fillets.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Skin a raw fillet by placing it on a cutting board with the skin against the board.
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2
Feel for any remaining bones and cut them away or pull them out with tweezers or needle-nose pliers; this is easiest while the skin's still attached.
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3
If desired, use a little coarse salt on your fingers or a paper towel to get a better grip.
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4
Starting at the bottom by the tail, cut through fillet to skin, and turn the knife so the blade is flat. The knife should now be between the skin and the flesh.
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5
Angle the knife very slightly down so the edge points toward the skin. This will ensure that you cut only the skin away and little flesh.
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6
Hold skin tightly and carefully slide the knife all the way down the fillet, using a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion. This should cut all of the flesh from the skin.
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7
Skin a cooked fillet by grabbing the skin at the tail end with tongs as soon as the fish is done; the skin of most fish will easily peel away once cooked.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure to choose a knife with a long, flexible, sharp blade - the sharper the better.
If you're planning to remove the skin after you cook the fillet, it's still a good idea to scale the fish when it's raw. Scales will fall off during cooking and can find their way into your finished dish. (See "How to Clean a Fish" for instructions.)
Always be careful when using sharp knives.
