Fileting madness

jonk

I wonder if someone can explain this to me.

Living on Lake Erie, Walleye, Perch, Steelhead, and Smallmouth are all in abundance. Walleye is probably king but all are caught and eaten regularly.

I have seen a lot of guys using electric filet knives. It looks more or less like a standard filet blade but is slightly serrated and just like an electric knive for cutting a roast otherwise- reciprocating action.

Now I think this would be a fine tool for the initial cut behind the fins near the head. However for the life of me I can't understand how you use one for cutting the filet off the ribcage. That's exacting work. I need to feel the feedback through the blade to ensure I'm getting all the meat but no bones. I actually prefer a fairly stiff knife for this and only use the filet knive for removing the actual filet from the skin.

But the electric, man, I've watched my neighbor go at it and while the top half of the filet looks pretty good, the bottom half, he basically saws through half the ribcage. Ok, I could probably see just cutting that half off in the kitchen, but even for the rest of it- those serrated teeth give me the whillies. I can just picture them cutting through a few bones here and there on the back area and it ruining my meal with a fishbone in my throat.

What do these guys not know that you can easily filet a fish with a regular knife and no bones in about 2 minutes, not care about eating bones, or just like wasting meat??????

Not to mention the fact that I can re-sharpen a regular knife in about a minute- that serrated thing, you probably have to replace or ship to the factory.

n/a

If a person knows how to filet a fish, there is no need to cut through bone..[:0]

JustC

That is what I use. You simply cut down to the bone, then turn sideways and press against the blade on the table at the tip, thus bending it slightly under pressure. Now run down to the tail, but stop short at the thin section just fwd of the tail. Now, flip the filet over and repeat the process just under the skin. You now have a perfect filet with no bones, no skin, and you didn't even have to gut it or scale it. Once you get the hang of it,..you'll never filet a fish any other way.[;)] Fast and effective

COLT

...What Classic said.

...I used a regular fillet knife for years, started with one because there was not an electric knife. I prefer to fillet with an electric knife, a lot quicker/easier. Serrated knife sharpens easy enough but, Ive never needed to sharpen the serrated blades on my electric knife, whereas I always had to sharpen my "regular" fillet knife...[;)]

n/a

I been wanting to try one of them new fangled lectric thigamabobs , I guess the old 10 inch Schrade is a habit..[;)][;)][:D]

jonk

Not saying it can't be done. Just I can't see myself doing it.

You get a big enough fish you could filet it with a chainsaw.

Walleye aside, you show me how to filet a 7" perch with an electric sometime with needle thin bones.

COLT

...Larry, you can buy an electric knife with the thin fillet blade, more like the Schrade you use, I bet. I really like the double blade electric knife for filleting better than the electric, thin blade...I use the same knife/blades for my BBQ meat as I do filleting fish.

...I think it's mostly technique, but I wouldn't want to use a bayonet either...[8D]

COLT

quote:Walleye aside, you show me how to filet a 7" perch with an electric sometime with needle thin bones.

...Easy.

...Kinda small, but are you saying you would take the time to clean/scale 50-75 perch?[:0] I don't have the time or "want to" to clean that many damn fish when filleting does away with the bones and is a LOT quicker.

..With a perch or other small fish you hold the fish belly down and slice down & along it's backbone then come in from the side above the ribcage, quick/easy...and there is your perch fillet...anything else?...[:D]

n/a

We use 7 inch perch for BAIT here.[:D][:D][:D][:0] Big Bass love em..[:o)]

jonk

COLT-

Yes, that's what I do. With a very small, manual knife that isn't sawing back and forth at an ungodly rate.

Admittedly we usually throw a 7" perch back but keep it if it is bleeding.

Again, I haven't used one of these myself. I don't KNOW that you get bones- I just know that it took practice to get good with a regular knife and with something that I have less control over, well, just seems like it isn't a great idea.

FWIW, I haven't scaled a fish in years. I can't abide cooking whole fish unless something really big where I can clearly see the bones. Otherwise I get bones in my meal!

burdz19

my cat is reading this post drooling for the left overs [:D][:D][:o)][:o)][:D][:D]