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Fillet-O-Fish (pics)

81K views 39 replies 35 participants last post by  pointbob 
#1 ·
Someone asked me to post step by step instructions on the eyeFISH method of filleting a salmon/steelhead that I had posted on the PP Board. Wish I had a fresh springer to demonstrate with, but a vacuum-frozen Kenai River sockeye from last summer will have to do (yeah, planked sockeye for dinner tonight!) This method works for a fish in the round (ungutted) or one that has been cleaned. The demo is on a 9# sockeye minus head and guts:

1) Make a long deep cut down the lateral line right down to the spine, then several cross cuts, depending on the size of the fish.




2) Start on the tail end, and begin removing fillets by sweeping your knife from the spine toward either the belly or the back. Keep your knife on the bones and turn the piece as you go.






3) Keep going in similar fashion, removing each piece while working your way toward the head end of the fish.









4) Flip it over and do it all over again.






5) You should end up with a featherweight carcass that is nearly transparent, except for the meat between the first 10-12 ribs which are sort of flattened. It is impossible to salvage this meat with a fillet knife alone.... gotta cook up the carcass and pick it out with chop sticks.






6) Here's the finished product. As you can see, there is VERY little waste with this method. Some guys may not like the fact that you don't end up with one intact fillet per side, but honestly, who can eat an entire fillet all by himself... especially when you are cutting something as big as a 50# king? This method gives you nice generous dinner-sized portions to satisfy the largest of appetites.



Give it a try! You'll be surprised at how easy and reproducible this method can be.
 
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#36 ·
Re: FILLET-O-FISH (pics)

Hard to believe the original thread is now over FIVE years old. This was actually one of my first mega pic-posts on this board when I first joined.

It's overdue for a little freshening up.

So here's an even more detailed series of pics on a big fall king, start to finish, including my hands in the pics to better show the angle of approach for the various steps.

This series of instructional pics was first published in Salmon Trout Steelheader, May 2005. Photo credit for the fillet series goes to my oldest daughter ChiefGillRipper.
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Fresh caught




Gutted and gilled




1. Position the fish so that the tail is on the same side as your dominant hand (the one holding the fillet knife). Start by making a long sweeping horizontal cut along the lateral line from just behind the gill plate all the way down to the tail. The lateral line is in exact alignment with the spine. Make sure the blade goes deep to the spine itself.


2. Next make several vertical cross-cuts from the back to the belly. Start with a slightly diagonal one just behind the bony collar/pectoral fin and finish with one at the tail wrist. The total number of cross-cuts depends on the size of the fish. Salmon under 15 pounds should be divided in three sections, 20-35 pounders will need four sections (as in this 33 pound demo chinook), and anything over 40 pounds is best sectioned into five. Now is also a good time to remove a small belly strip containing the ventral fin.


3. Now it’s time to remove the fillets one section at a time. Place your blade deep in the long horizontal groove in the tail section tight against the spine. Make a sweeping cut toward the anal fin, keeping the blade tight against the bones. Turn the piece with your other hand as you sweep the blade so you can see exactly where you are cutting. To finish, pull slightly on the piece to apply tension to the hinging skin, and with one sweeping cut through the skin, remove the piece from the carcass.


Preparatory lateral and vertical cuts




Proper knife angle for sweeping against the bones




Cutting the skin to release the fillet



4. Successive pieces are removed from the carcass in similar fashion, starting at the spine and sweeping the blade toward either the belly or the back, following the natural sweptback contour of the ribs and spine bones. Remember, keep the knife edge tight against the bones.


Removing the next piece




And the next....




More than halfway there....




Last belly piece



5. Don’t forget to salvage the collar (my favorite piece of the fish). Release it by making a flat undermining cut parallel to the spine toward the head (yes there are some bones to crunch through), followed by a deep diagonal cut from the upper corner of the gillplate to the top of the head (right at the borderline between naked head skin and scaled body skin).



Don't forget to remove that collar! MMMM... my favorite piece!




First side finished





6. You’re halfway there! Turn the fish over and just repeat the entire process. After making the preparatory horizontal and vertical cuts, I remove the collar piece first, then move on to the fillet sections, starting at the tail and working forward. Having the collar out of the way allows the spine to rest flatter against your working surface, making it much easier to remove the final back section.


Flip it over and repeat




Second side finished!




Featherweight carcass, side view....




Featherweight carcass, belly view....




GROCERIES!




Gotta love those fall colors in the PNW!


A considerable amount of time, talent, and treasure is invested to ensure success in catching our favorite salmon species. When one is fortunate enough to finally bring home some chrome for the table, proper care of fresh-caught fish is a must. Equally important, however, is how that fish is cut so as to minimize waste and literally get the most bang for the buck. This is a very simple and highly reproducible fillet method for salmon and steelhead that results in maximum meat yield, leaving behind a nearly transparent featherweight carcass.


Some guys may not like the fact that they don't end up with one intact fillet per side. But honestly, who can eat an entire fillet all by himself... especially when cutting something as big as a 35-45 pound king? This method gives you nice generous dinner-sized portions to satisfy the largest of appetites. In fact on any king bigger than 20 pounds, the back sections are so thick that I cross-cut them into inch-thick triangular steaks.

This method does not require a long rigid fillet knife to process a big fish. In fact, I prefer a shorter 6” blade with a little more flex to better follow the contour of the bones. The same knife can be used whether cutting a hatchery brat or a bonafide hawg. Another advantage to this technique is that it saves your knife edge from having to cut through all the rib bones at the spine, as is common with a standard fillet method. The only bones you will be cutting through are the finer pin bones in the back sections ahead of the dorsal.

I have yet to discover any another fillet method that can make an absolute beginner feel like an expert on the first try. If you are an experienced fish cutter, you will amaze even yourself at how virtually nothing is wasted with this technique. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.
 
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