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How to fillet a salmon
| How to fillet salmon intro Picking the right equipment Cutting the first fillet Cutting the second fillet Removing the ribs Trimming the fillet part 1 Trimming the fillet part 2 Removing the pinbones The finished fillet |
| Step 2
– Cutting the first fillet: |
The first step in filleting is to make sure you're comfortable with where the fish is placed. It's really all a matter of personal preference. I prefer to start my filleting with the fish laying in front of me as it's pictured below, with its head to my right, and its belly facing me... but then again, I'm one of those strange left handed people, so what feels right for me may feel wrong for you... make sure you do what feels comfortable to you.
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| Make the
first cut just behind the gillplate, in the first soft section of tissue. Make
this cut straight down, perpendicular to the backbone, or just a little
slanted, as shown here. click picture to enlarge |
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| Cut all the
way down to the backbone, but don't cut through the backbone click picture to enlarge |
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| Once you've
cut down to the backbone, make sure you cut and free the lower (belly) section
also click picture to enlarge |
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| While holding
the knife against the backbone, turn it 90° so the cutting edge faces the
tail and the blade is parallel to the backbone. Then, while holding the belly
flap up with one hand, start cutting towards the tail, with the blade parallel
to the backbone, or angled just slightly towards the backbone, so it rides
against it. You want to use the backbone as your guide. In the other axis, the
tip of your blade should be angled a little towards the cutting board, as
shown... you do this so your cut comes closer to the dorsal fin, you don't want
to leave a thick strip of meat on the carcass above the backbone... you want
that meat to end up on your fillet! click picture to enlarge |
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| At first,
you'll be cutting through the rib bones, so the first part might take a little
effort... this is why you want a nice sharp knife! Continue to hold the belly
meat up so it doesn't get accidently cut by the blade, and work the blade along
the backbone, back towards the tail. Notice how close the blade is to the
dorsal fin... you want to pass just above it, leaving the most meat possible on
your fillet. click picture to enlarge |
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| Again, you
want the blade to pass just along the anal fin, and right along the backbone
also, leaving as much meat as possible on your fillet. Notice the angle of the
blade, angled slightly towards the backbone... you want to use the backbone as
a guide... you don't want to go too deep and dig into the backbone, and you
don't want to go too shallow and leave some meat on the backbone... it's a
delicate balance, one that takes practice. click picture to enlarge |
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| At the tail
of the fish, run your blade out along the backbone, and then angle slightly
upward, through the skin. click picture to enlarge |
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| There it is,
the first fillet, off the bone. We will rib and clean up this fillet after we
cut the next fillet. click picture to enlarge |
| How to fillet salmon intro Picking the right equipment Cutting the first fillet Cutting the second fillet Removing the ribs Trimming the fillet part 1 Trimming the fillet part 2 Removing the pinbones The finished fillet |