2. Skinning
While the skin is edible on fish, some dish requirements mean that it needs to be removed.
This is quite difficult. When skinning, you must not damage the flesh of the fish, so specific knife
technique are needed.
Skinning usually occurs once the fillets of the fish have been removed. The exception is a
whole flat fish. In this case the whole skin is removed by making an incision at the tail and then
pulling the skin from the flesh to the head.
3. 1.Chopping board
2.Filleting Knife
Fillet knives are meant
to simply remove the
bones of a cut of meat.
These knives, often used
with fish, are thin and easily
lay between the skin and
top layer of meat.
The equipment needed for skinning are:
4. 3.Salt or a clean cloth
4.Container (for waste products)
5.Tray (to place the skinned fillets on)
5. How to skin a Fillet
To provide grip when you grasp the tail end of the
fillet, either dip your fingers in some salt before you
being or use a cloth to hold the tail.
6. 1. Place the fillet on the chopping board. Cut into the
end of the tail section until the knife is touching or
lying on the skin at an angle of 45
7. 2. Take a firm hold of the tail skin and keep a firm grip on the knife. Use
sawing action, moving both the skin and knife at the same time. You
will see the fillet come away from the skin and the angle of the knife
will mean that no flesh will remain on the skin.
8. 3. Trim untidy pieces of fillet away to leave
a neat skinned fillet.
9. Filleting
Filleting is a complex knife skill, which is an essential part of preparing fish. Filleting is the
removal of the flesh from the bones and skin. The equipment and tools used for filleting fish are:
1. Chopping Board, secured to a flat work surface.
2. Suitable filleting knife with a sharp, flexible blade
3. Container for waste of products
4. Tray for the filets
5. Tweezers to remove pin bones (small bones) left in the fillet
6. Kitchen scissors which can be used to trim away fins
The process for filleting a flat fish is different from that of fileting a round one. Usually the
preferred knife to use is a 7-inch blade which is flexible to aid the filleting process. If the flat fish is
large (example: a turbot), a knife with a sturdy blade would be needed for safety.
10. How to Fillet a fish
1. Remove the head. Place the chefโs knife behind the pectoral fin; make a diagonal
downward cut through the bone. Repeat on the opposite side; discard the head.
11. 2.Remove the tail. Place the chefโs knife where the tail fin joins
the body, and make a straight cut down through the flesh and
bone; discard the fin.
12. 3. Cut the fillet. Starting at the head end, run a fillet
knife along the backbone in a smooth motion, (this
may take more than one cut). Cut around the rib cage
to separate fillets.
13. 4. Cut away the thin belly portion of the fillet. While to
eat, it will cook quicker than the rest of the fillet and is
higher in fat. It can also be reserved for making stock.
14. 5.Remove the skin. With the fillet skin-side down, place chef is knife at
the tail end between the skin and the flesh. Run the knife slowly along
the fillet with the knife blade angled ever so slightly downward, firmly
gripping the skin as you cut.
