How to Clean & Fillet Fish

Filleting a fish is a delicate process.

Learning how to clean and fillet fish is essential if you're planning on bring home your catch after a day out on the water. The sooner you clean the fish, the better. A fish fresh out of the water will have less fishy smell and will be easier to work with. The most important tool to have is an incredibly sharp fillet knife. With the right knife and some practice, you will soon be able to fillet a fish quickly and easily. Does this Spark an idea?

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Fish scaler
Fillet knife
Cutting board

Instructions

- 1
  
  Rinse the fish thoroughly under cool running water.
- 2
  
  Scrape off the scales. Place the fish on a cutting board and, using a fish scaler or the dull edge of a knife, remove the scales by scraping the skin in short strokes from tail to head.
- 3
  
  Make a shallow cut along the bottom of the fish from the gills to the anus. Remove the entrails by hand and discard them.
- 4
  
  Rinse the cavity thoroughly under cool running water. Rinse the outside of the fish, and rinse the cutting board.
- 5
  
  Put the fish back on the cutting board and cut down behind the head. Angle your cut toward the mouth until you hit bone.
- 6
  
  Cut along the bone, just clear of the dorsal fin, until you reach the tail.
- 7
  
  Peel the fillet up and run the knife along the bone again to sever any small lateral bones from the fillet.
- 8
  
  Rotate the fish and run the knife along the other side of the bone, cutting from the tail to the head.
- 9
  
  Peel the fillet up, cut away any small lateral bones, and pull the fillet away from the fish.
- 10
  
  Turn the fish over and repeat Steps 5 through 9 on the opposite side.