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Filleting fish, like catching them, seems easy in ideal conditions, nearly impossible otherwise.
So start with a firm cutting board, a sharp knife with a comfortable grip and a blade of just the right length. Add a firm, fresh fish, wiped dry. Always cut against bone, or if you prefer skinless fillets, the skin, and two tidy fillets almost magically appear. Waste is minimal. Try to fillet fish with a dull heavy blade and your result may look more like lace curtains. 50,000 Filets Later Nobody fillets fish faster than commercial fishermen and the deck hands on head boats. The former fillet tons of fish in a season. The latter might fillet fifteen fish each for twenty to thirty anglers on the hour run back to the dock six days a week. "Quick and dirty" does the deed here. So most pros use whatever blade with decent steel is at hand. On big fish, commercial butcher knives do the job; after a few years grinding, they refine to a shape much like butcher's boning or classic fillet knives. Fish cleaning methods vary -- we'll discuss several later -- but one thing is certain, thick or thin, stiff or soft, pro's blades are razor sharp. In most cases, pros prepare several blades as it's easier to "switch than sharpen." I learned this on my uncle's boats when Frank and George would bombard me with fish parts if my sharpening failed to meet their standards. Specialty Blades Unless you overdose on yellow perch, or go totally mad and try to fillet tons of panfish, it's unlikely that any recreational fisherman will clean enough fish to become as quick as the slowest commercial fisherman. Even guides have trouble getting enough practice in these catch and release times. So you need to pay a bit more attention to your filleting "tackle" to overcome the lack of practice needed to perfect technique. I just counted. My wife and I own nine fillet knives! These range from the smallest Normark blade up to a monster 14 inch long blade used for albacore and salmon. I've two favorites. One is the shorter of the two inexpensive wooden handled Finish knife models sold by Normark. The other is an eight inch long, heavier blade Buck folding fillet knife. Why these? Both have comfortable grips sized to suit the blade and task. The shorter Normark seems ideal for the smaller bass, crappie and trout I fillet and smoke. Its wood handle offers a secure fingertip grip for al fresco cleaning in frigid weather. There's a fancy |
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