Initial Fish Preparation
Generally, one fish portion piece has about ¼ oz weight, a little bit more if with bones.
Before and after cutting the fish should be rinsed in cool running water.
To cut, take the whole fish, using special fish cutter, scale it, cut fins and head off. If the heat should be on, remove only gills and eyes.
If the fish needs to be disemboweled, then do the following:
- Cut the fish’s bowl along from the anal point towards the head, making a slit about 1/3 the fish’s length.
- Remove giblets with your fingers, or in case the fish is too big, using special utensil.
- Remove blood inside along the backbone, and rinse the fish thoroughly.
- If the fish is prepared for stuffing, you can remove it’s giblets through it’s gills, leaving the bowl undamaged.
- Check again the giblets and blood are all off.
Flat Fish Fillet Preparation (except small-mouth flounder)
With a fillet knife make a slit along the fish’s backbone from head to tail. Cut fish fillet off the bones, holding the knife almost parallel to the surface, close to the bone.
O remove skin from the flat fish’s fillet, hold the fish firmly by its tail on a working surface, cut the flesh very close to the tail. Hold the knife parallel to the surface, and, holding skin firmly, move the knife from side to side and cut fillet off.
Small Mouth Flounder Preparation
Slit skin, grasp it with your hand and pull it from tail to head. Using this technique, remove both black and white skin.
Cut tail and sidefins, using fish cutter, remove eyes, scrape the fish and rinse thoroughly.
After preparation, before cooking, put the fish on a working surface, and remove all side bones using spatula. Fold up both fillets carefully and cut away about an inch from the tail.
Turbot Preparation
Cut off head with a big cleaver. Cut away side bones. Starting with tail, slit the fish along its backbone into halves. Cut each half into portion pieces.
A portion piece with bones weights about 2/3 lb, for making 10 portions 8 lb fish is enough.
Round Fish Fillet Preparation
Scale the fish thoroughly, cut fins away, remove giblets and head. Starting with its head, slit the fish along its backbone. Holding the knife very close to the bone, take fillet off, together with skin and rib bones. Turn the fish over and take the second fillet, using the same technique, but this time starting with its tail.
To make boned fillet, remove bones. To prepare skinned and boned fillet, take the skin off then.
