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RedHead Fisher · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: Cleaning your catch

I need some help on cleaning and preparing options. . . mainly for redfish & trout . . . i usually filet both the same, but i've heard of other ways to clean the fish . . . when i'm done, there sure is alot of meat left on the fish . . . How do some of you do yours, for the grill, pan cooked, and fried . . . any and all suggestions are appreciated and welcome

fishmicki · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 2:06 pm Post subject:

We like to clean red snapper and keep whole, with out the head...make several slashes in each side and season with garlic slice, lemon and olive oil....place on foil lined pan and grill or broil until done. Sometimes we have to flip it, or use both the bake and broil function on the oven.
For redfish, we filet with skin on for redfish "on the half shell" and place this on the grill. The meat just slides off the skin. We also grill or fry the redfish throats....lots of meat in there, you just have to pick it out.

I agree, it seems like there is still a lot left on the fish. We have boiled this for fish stock.

We have found the best way to have the most fish is to cook whole, and then eat with 2 forks to get all the meat.

Hope that helps....
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michael · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:10 pm Post subject: cleaning fish

For red-fish or snapper I cut along the top of the fish starting at the head. After the skin is opened up I run the knife right down to the back bone, it normallt takes a couple of cuts and I use the ribs as a guide. Once I hit the poop shoot I push the knife all the way threw and follow the backbone and cut out just above the tail. After that I cut down fron the ribs to the poop shoot along the bones. If it is a snapper I cut threw the rib bones if it is a redfish i cut around then. If your knife is sharp and you follow the bones there will not be any meat worth saving left. Make sure your knife is sharp and your fish are cold enough to be stiff and firm.

Takes time and practice. I have cut literally thousands of fish( I use to help clean fish on head-boats in california for a free ride) But once you do it right it will be just like riding a bike. Big John saw me clean some snapper we caught a year or two ago. There really isn't any meat left on the fish in done right. I clean pomano the same way.
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kweber · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:31 pm Post subject:

had a charter capt tell me to go to the fish shack after they'd fillet'd a yellowfin and ask for the head and back-bone. we took the meat from the back of the head & spine to have a kick-a$$ BBQ.
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fishmicki · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:49 pm Post subject:

michael,
next time I come down, can I stop at your house on the way back? sounds like you have this down!
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michael · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject:

I normally clean my buddies fish while they wash my boat or my truck. I actually sort of like cutting fish. Sort of a personnel challange to get as much meat as possible. Once in awhile I do just blow a fillet. Normally turn that one into fish sticks for my kids.
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Rooster · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:50 pm Post subject:

Redfish on the halfshell is my favorite way to cook redfish. Filet it like you normally would just leave the scales on one side then grill with the scales down. Its easy to prepare, easy to tell when its done and it tastes great. You can find tons of recipes on the internet, if I were you I would just try some different recipes and see which combination of ingridents you like the best.

If your losing alot of meat on redfish, you could filet them like you've been doing, cook the filets how you want then, season and broil the backbone and just pick the meat off.
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Big John · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 2647

reef-rat · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:45 am Post subject:

I learned how to fillet from a man that used to fillet fish for a living. Use a mesh glove to protect your hands since you will be cutting toward yourself and use a curved skinning knife for cutting the meat off of the bones. This type knife allows you to cut whether pulling or pushing the blade. Make a cut from top to bottom behind the head following the bone structure. If you make a straight up and down cut you waste some of the meat behind the head so following the bones increases your percentage of meat. Then make a cut on the back like Michael discribed and follow the backbone. Make another cut down the belly to the tail. From the anus to the tail follow the backbone and then cut the fillet across at the tail. The fillet will now only be attached by the ribs. Grab the fillet in one hand and the tail in the other and pull apart, like the wishbone on a chicken. Now use a regular thin blade fillet knife and with the fillet laying flat remove the skin, cutting from the tail. If it is a big red I will also fillet the belly portion from the ribs. At this stage you will have the whole side on the table and can trim the ribs off of the fillet.
The first time I attempted this method, I thought the fish would rot before I got it cleaned. With practice I have gotten a lot faster and there is very little meat left on the skeleton.

stanton8 · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:18 pm Post subject:

I like the redfish on the half shell method, but for ease of cutting, try filleting the redfish from the tail towards the head instead of head to tail. Its easier that way due to the fish's ribs pointing forward at the head end. First make your cut behind the gills down to the bone, them turn the fish around, cut from the tail forward until you reach the front.
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