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Cleaning & Prep

How to Fillet a Fish

Most wasted meat happens in the first few cuts. Here's the order that actually works, step by step.

Filleting isn't complicated once you've got the order right — but most beginners lose meat in the same two or three spots. Here's exactly how I do it, start to finish.

Gear First

Don't try to do this with a steak knife. Two tools make the whole job easier and cleaner:

• A proper fillet knife — thin, flexible blade, built for this job specifically
• A pair of scissors — makes cutting through fins fast and clean instead of sawing at them

The Cutting Order

Follow these steps in order:

• 1. Remove the head. Take it off first, cleanly.
• 2. Cut behind the head. Just behind where the head was, cut through — that's where the first fin sits, and it comes off with this cut.
• 3. Open the belly. Cut the belly open along its length.
• 4. Remove the dorsal fin. Cut the top (dorsal) fin off.
• 5. Cut from top to tail. Run your cut from the top of the fish down to the bottom of the tail.
• 6. Clear the center bone. There's a small bone running through the middle of the fish — cut straight through, just above it, to separate the fillet cleanly.

A Mistake Worth Avoiding

Cutting too close to the bone. It's tempting to hug the spine tight thinking you're being precise, but it does the opposite — you end up leaving good meat behind on the frame instead of on your plate. Give the bone a little room. A slightly less "perfect" looking cut with more meat on it beats a tight cut that wastes half the fillet.