How to Remove the Y Bone in Filleting a Northern Pike
Northern pike are edible, but many anglers despair of ever getting all the small bones out of them. Most of the bones you'll find in a pike fillet are the Y-bones; if you were to look at the fish head-on in an X-ray view, the ribs would be the bottom portion of the "Y" and the Y-bones would form the two forking upper limbs of the letter. There is a section of good-to-eat meat that runs along the top of the pike's spine, between the arms of the Y.
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Instructions
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1
Cut into the pike as if you were filleting a normal fish. If you haven't already removed the innards, cut from the anus forward to the neck along the fish's belly and remove the guts. Next lay the fish flat, then either cut off the head or cut down to the spine as if you were going to sever the head. Finally, run the knife along the near (upper) side of the spine all the way from head to tail of the fish, to separate the fillets.
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2
Turn the pike over and repeat on the other side. You should now have two fillets, both of which still have the Y bones in them. Slip the edge of the knife underneath the ribs on the inside of each fillet and carefully separate them from the meat. Discard the ribs.
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3
Discard the fish skeleton and lay each fillet out with the spine part -- the bit with the Y bones still in it, usually the thickest part of the fillet -- facing away from you. You should be able to both see the Y bones and feel them if you run your fingers across the fillet surface.
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4
Cut into the fillet with a flexible fillet knife just along the far ("upper") side of the Y-bone. Repeat the cut several times, going a bit deeper each time. Press down slightly on the tip of the fillet knife to curve it so that it follows the line of the curved Y-bone.
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5
Repeat the same cutting process on the near side of the Y-bone. Remember that the point of your knife should curve toward the top of the fillet, following the line of the Y-bone. Now that you've cut on both sides of the Y-bone, keep cutting until you can pull the Y-bone away from the fillet. The meat on the far (upper) side of the Y-bone may come off in its own separate strip when you first begin, but with practice you'll be able to cut the Y-bone out without separating the other meat from the fillet. Repeat this process from Step 4 onward on the other fillet.
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