Filleting Albacore Tuna

Filleting your own albacore tuna is not that much harder than filleting a normal fish. Just make a few choice cuts and you will be on your way to being a self-sufficient albacore fisherman, cleaner, filleter and cooker. Being able to fillet your own albacore will also allow you to save money, as this fish can get pricey at both grocery stores and farmer's markets. Be sure that you cut carefully, however, and always remember to wear protective gloves to prevent injury.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Protective gloves
• Cutting board
• Fillet knife
• Tweezers

1. Wash the albacore with water and dry it off with a paper towel. This will remove any debris from the fish's skin.

2. Lay the fish on a cutting board. Take the sharp side of a knife and make a slit in the belly of the albacore. Begin the cut near the top of the fish, where the two fins reside, and stop when you reach the fish's back fin, which is also called an anal fin. Make your cut deep enough that you've encompassed much of the fish's meat, but not so deep that you're hitting bone. If it's too difficult to avoid bone, you can make your cut a bit deeper, with the rib cage still attach to the fillet. Make the same cut on the other side of the fish.

3. Make a cut behind the fish's pectoral fin, which is right behind its mouth. Continue the cut until it reaches the fins near the fish's belly, where you made the initial cut. Follow the initial cut at this point, and continue until you again reach the anal fin. Remove this section of skin from the albacore. Repeat this process on the other side of the fish.

4. Discard the rest of the fish and place the remaining fillets on the cutting board, meat side down. Pinch the skin of the fish with your thumb and index finger to prevent it from slipping. Hold your knife horizontally and slide it under your thumb, right below the albacore's skin.

5. Slide the blade along the underbelly of the skin, while simultaneously pulling at the skin to ease the removal process. Repeat this process with the other fillet.

6. Remove any bones, scales or skin that may remain on the fillets, especially if you made a deep initial cut, resulting in the rib cage remaining on the fillet.

7. Run your finger over the sides of the fillets to be sure that the meat is smooth and boneless. If there are any stray bones remaining, use the tweezers to pluck the bones from the fillets.

8. Cook the albacore or store in on ice or in a refrigerated location immediately to prevent food illnesses.

Tips & Warnings

• Always cut away from your body to prevent the knife from slipping and cutting you instead of the fish.
• Always use protective gloves to prevent cutting yourself when you're inside the fish and cannot necessarily see your fingers or the knife.

Resources

• How To Fillet Your Fish

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