Fillet method that saves meat.

I've crappie fished with dozens of different people therefore I've cleaned fish with just about that many. One thing is true... we all have our own way of doing it. I was listening to the radio one day, my mind drifted while cleaning fish and I made a mistake in the process and discovered a new twist that made it easier and save meat.

My old method: Cut entire side off fish, flip, cut other side off, stack sides until I have about a dozen, then take sides and remove from skin, then remove ribs... done.

My new method: Cut entire side off fish, flip, cut other side off, stack sides, etc... then take the side, with the electric knife at an angle remove the bones with a cuping/scooping/rotating action of the knife. The skin holds the fillet/meat rigid making removal of the bones cleaner. Your knife can follow the bones underside. Now just remove the meat from skin as usual. Compare fillets from the two methods and you'll see a more tapered fillet where you saved the meat behind the ribs and a nice "thumb" from not going too far down below the ribs.

I've deliberately divided a catch and used my old and new methods... the new method was way better looking, cleaner, uniform fillets.

Anyone else use this method? I've shown this to several fish buddies and the ones using it now are impressed with the increased speed and higher yield.

I'll give it a try next time. Thanks

You need that on U-tube.;)

Good idea will try

Do you cut the fillet all the way off the fish? I always stop short and flip the fillet over cut the bones and then the meat off the skin. Then the skin stays with the carcass.
I have trouble holding the fillet once it is cut all the way off the fish. That is why I leave just a little skin attached at the tail.

Darin

I remove the side fillet from the fish. I used to leave the side tagged to the tail area, but doing it this way you can't do that. Once you remove the flesh from the skin you're back to my old way. We fried some fish and frog legs last night. As I was cooking I could identify my fillets from those cleaned by others very easily.

Will give it a try.
Have not been frog gigging in years. Gonna have to take the boys gigging one night.
Darin

Thats the way I was taught to do it also. I think it is faster to

I cut one side at a time, stopping short of the tail then flip the fillet over and cut the skin off then cut at an angle under the ribs to remove. Like mentioned earlier everyone has their method and i hate to change. lol i can get through a good mess of fish with my method

I pretty much do it the same as you guys who leave it tagged at the tail. I get poked at quite a bit because I'm so stingy with the meat... try to get all the meat that I can and try to get over the ribs to get the belly meat which usually leaves a Y-shaped fillet. I've not caught any crappie but when I do figure them out and learn to catch them I'll be using this same technique. Since I've learned to fillet fish I've not scaled one in YEARS!

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Originally Posted by gabowman

You need that on U-tube.;)

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2x

I don't use an electric fillet knife and never cut a bone. I fillet around the ribs and don't lose the rib meat.

I used to fillet using a electric knife by cutting from the head down to back bone then to tail then flipping the attached skin plus filet and ribs over then continue cutting the filet and ribs from the skin. Filet the other side then finish the rest of the fish then go back and cut the ribs off of each filet.

Some time ago on c dot c someone posted a video or a link to a video showing crappie being filleted using an electric knife where they used the electric knife to remove the ribs while the filet and skin was still attached to the fish then they continued their cut removing the rib free filet from the skin. When I used this method I found I needed to be using a curved blade to scoop the ribs off of the filet. I found I liked this method because I didn't have to go back through the pile of filets and remove the ribs. Now the pile of filets is ready to be rinsed and bagged.

I tried searching c dot c and youtube and could not find that particular video that I first saw of the ribs being scooped out using the electric knife. I did find this video where this fellow is using that same technique only he is doing it with a regular filet knife.

How to clean Crappies - YouTube

I cut around the ribs when taking the fillet off.....All I have to do once I have enough, is take the skin off. Pretty easy and I learned how to do it from a youtube video. LOL

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Originally Posted by LBM

I used to fillet using a electric knife by cutting from the head down to back bone then to tail then flipping the attached skin plus filet and ribs over then continue cutting the filet and ribs from the skin. Filet the other side then finish the rest of the fish then go back and cut the ribs off of each filet.

Some time ago on c dot c someone posted a video or a link to a video showing crappie being filleted using an electric knife where they used the electric knife to remove the ribs while the filet and skin was still attached to the fish then they continued their cut removing the rib free filet from the skin. When I used this method I found I needed to be using a curved blade to scoop the ribs off of the filet. I found I liked this method because I didn't have to go back through the pile of filets and remove the ribs. Now the pile of filets is ready to be rinsed and bagged.

I tried searching c dot c and youtube and could not find that particular video that I first saw of the ribs being scooped out using the electric knife. I did find this video where this fellow is using that same technique only he is doing it with a regular filet knife.

How to clean Crappies - YouTube

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NO "BACON", no bellymeat. I like that return piece of meat below the ribs, it's 1/3 of the filet. I like those little strings of meat from the top and bottom fins too, we call those the "zippers". Most of the time we have 1 guy sawing and 1 guy ribbing, we really butterfly that belly out, it so crispy and tasty.

I've always left the skin on until last, I never thought the meat would hold up to cutting under the ribs to remove them if the skin was already off. I wish I could get good at getting the fillets off without cutting through the ribs, but so far can only do it on big, thick fish like bass, striper, and catfish, and then I stop where the ribs hit the skin and leave all the belly meat attached to keep in the guts.

Go over the ribs and not through them

Yes we need a U-tube of this method sounds good

LBM, that may be a video of me that an outdoor writer I took out put on youtube. It sounds like the method I use. If you search crappie Brownlee it will come up. Maybe part 4 as he put up 4 short videos from that trip. Using that method what really helps get the best fillet is a fork tool that my dad makes. Makes it easy to put "down pressure" on the fillet while scooping the ribs. That and leaving the skin on until after the ribs are out is key.

It's amazing just how much carefull filleting can increase the yield. We had a chance to get a good comparison last season. We came in with 160 fish. The clients took half to fillet and I took the other half. They filled 2 gallon ziplocks, I filled 3. The fish were all the same size, just different filleting techniques.

will have to try that method next time

Just now getting back to crappie fishing since retiring. In years past, I grilled a lot of crappie on the half shell and that method of removing the rib cage works real slick and neat. But, do any of you keep the backbone? An old friend would always keep them and fry the seperate. Right up there with gnawing a rib bone.

bob

I have a friend that takes the ribs & back and they bake them in the oven. He says it's really good, just crunchy...lol

Cut over the ribs not through the ribs. Don't have to sharpen the knife as often.

i use that technique also , i used to whittle away at th rib bones with a fillet knife like Randyj, but since i goy an electric knife its much faster to use ur new method