Trevor M
Well-Known Member
Pretty sure we all clean fish in pretty much the same way. With some water, and a knife right? But while we all probably clean fish in almost the same way, we each might do something a little differently too. Just curious how YOU do it.
IE the way I do perch (or bass if I ever keep one) is I take my knife (either my electric if I'm doing a lot, or the one in my tackle box if just a few where I'm the power) behind the gills, cut down to the back bone, then go laterally along the back bone cutting through the rib cage to the tail, remove the fillet, then I remove the ribs and take my knife along the underside to remove the skin. I do the same thing on the other side. I don't scale them, I'd never hear the end of it about the mess that would make.
I do Walleye pretty much the same way, but I'll also take the cheeks if it's big enough, but since I don't have any front teeth, I don't bother with the wings. Tried once, couldn't get what little meat there was off them because it just pulled right back through When I'm about to cook them, that's when I zip'em.
For Catfish, I don't use the electric knife. I use the other one in the tacklebox. I'll go behind the gills as usual, but just barely put the tip of the knife through the skin along the backbone to the tail, same along the belly to the tail. Then using a pair of needle nose pliers, I'll pull the skin off by grabbing it by where the cuts I made at the backbone and behind the gills meet, and then I remove the fillet starting at the tail and working my way back towards the head, removing the ribs as I do it leaving them in tact on the carcass.
With Rainbows, IF I've decided not to leave them whole, removing only the innards, although I know a couple different ways to do it, I'll do kind of the same thing as I do with catfish, but once I have the fillet off, I use the pliers to remove the small bones I cut through. Takes a while depending on how big the fish was. If I'm leaving them whole tho, when I cook'em I score the skin and put some lemon slices on top along with any seasonings I might have chosen, wrap it in foil then in the oven or on the BBQ.
Pike, if or when I catch and keep one, or have one given to me, (happens once in a while) I do the 5 cut method.
IE the way I do perch (or bass if I ever keep one) is I take my knife (either my electric if I'm doing a lot, or the one in my tackle box if just a few where I'm the power) behind the gills, cut down to the back bone, then go laterally along the back bone cutting through the rib cage to the tail, remove the fillet, then I remove the ribs and take my knife along the underside to remove the skin. I do the same thing on the other side. I don't scale them, I'd never hear the end of it about the mess that would make.
I do Walleye pretty much the same way, but I'll also take the cheeks if it's big enough, but since I don't have any front teeth, I don't bother with the wings. Tried once, couldn't get what little meat there was off them because it just pulled right back through When I'm about to cook them, that's when I zip'em.
For Catfish, I don't use the electric knife. I use the other one in the tacklebox. I'll go behind the gills as usual, but just barely put the tip of the knife through the skin along the backbone to the tail, same along the belly to the tail. Then using a pair of needle nose pliers, I'll pull the skin off by grabbing it by where the cuts I made at the backbone and behind the gills meet, and then I remove the fillet starting at the tail and working my way back towards the head, removing the ribs as I do it leaving them in tact on the carcass.
With Rainbows, IF I've decided not to leave them whole, removing only the innards, although I know a couple different ways to do it, I'll do kind of the same thing as I do with catfish, but once I have the fillet off, I use the pliers to remove the small bones I cut through. Takes a while depending on how big the fish was. If I'm leaving them whole tho, when I cook'em I score the skin and put some lemon slices on top along with any seasonings I might have chosen, wrap it in foil then in the oven or on the BBQ.
Pike, if or when I catch and keep one, or have one given to me, (happens once in a while) I do the 5 cut method.