Things You'll Need:
- Cutting board
- Fillet knife
- Pliers
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Step 1
Wash the fish thoroughly in clean water. Washing the fish will remove any foreign matter or debris that could contaminate the fillets.
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Step 2
Place a knife in the soft spot under the chin of the fish and slide all the way down to the tail. Keep the knife centered between the two belly fins and stop before you cut through the tail.
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Step 3
Turn the pike on its side and make a cut directly behind the gills. Move the knife back and forth to cut all the way down to the backbone.
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Step 4
Slide the knife along the backbone and cut all the way to the tail. This may be difficult as you will be cutting through the rib bones, but this will loosen the fillet from the body.
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Step 5
Flip the fish over and repeat the process with the remaining side of the fish. This will remove the remaining fillet from the carcass.
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Step 6
Cut the belly fins away from the fillet. Trim as little meat as possible from the fish when removing the fins.
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Step 7
Lay the fillet skin side down on the counter. Slide the knife under the first rib on the fish and cut the ribs from the body. Try and remove as little meat as possible from the fillet. Once you’ve loosened the majority of the ribs, grab them with your pliers and pull from the flesh. This makes the de-boning process much quicker.
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Step 8
Remove the skin from the pike. Hold the tail section of the fillet with pliers and slide a knife between the skin and flesh. Move the knife back and forth as you pull with the pliers to loosen the skin from the meat. Take care to cut as little flesh as possible when pulling off the skin.
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Step 9
Rinse the pike fillets once they are cleaned. Place them in a freezer bag and store them, or cook them immediately to get the most from the freshly filleted northern pike.
