What did you eat last night for dinner?

mgm9128 · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by Manton

They told us in school that the guts should come out immediately because as soon as the fish dies, the acids/enzymes/whatever in the guts start to eat away at and generally **** up the meat. So, most fish you buy even whole will already be gutted, at least around here. However, they will not be scaled. Though I recently bought a whole bass that was not gutted and I was somewhat surprised by that.
Interesting. Where I bought it, they were about to scale and gut it for me to take whole, as they would normally do, but I insisted they leave it untouched. Silly me, I know.

According to Solzhenitsyn, the eyes are delicious

They aren't bad. I wouldn't go as far to say they are delicious. But maybe I've just never had properly prepared fish eyes.

or at least nutritious.

There's an interesting story I read about a man lost at sea who subsisted on nothing but fish for the course of over a month. At first, he would only eat the raw flesh, but after a while his body started craving other parts of the fish, such as the liver, heart, and eyes. Mainly because eating only the flesh supplies one with a limited source of nutrition, and these other less desirable parts contain other essential ***** acids and nutrients one needs to survive. Eating the eyes, in this case, provided him with fresh water.

itsstillmatt · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by mgm9128

Exactly. I noticed myself instinctively feeling the fish for where the bones started and stopped, and which way they ran. It will just take a bit of time and practice, as Manton said.

Also, there are many ways to fillet a fish, so make sure you pick a style and stick to it. You'll get better faster.

Manton · Jul 10, 2011

I only know two ways, one for round, one for flat.

GQgeek · Jul 10, 2011

I remember watching my sister poke the eyes out of fish at a restaurant in Spain. She did it just to gross me out. I am still squeamish when it comes to fish.

itsstillmatt · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by Manton

I only know two ways, one for round, one for flat.

Mainly the differences are how to deal with the rib cage in round fish. You can go around (I do this,) or you can cut through. If you cut through, you can do it a few different ways -- top to bottom, front to back, back to front.

mgm9128 · Jul 10, 2011

A flat fish, such as Turbot, is a very easy fish to fillet, in my opinion. Also, pretty fun. I do need to work on skinning, though.

nmprisons · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by mgm9128

I do need to work on skinning, though.

Having cut hundreds of pounds of fish a day for months at a time (use to be a fisherman), I can tell you that "skinning" (assuming you mean taking the fillet off the skin, rather than pulling the skin off the fillet, since the latter can damage the meat) is about 3% skill, 2% practice, and 95% the right knife.

JoBa · Jul 10, 2011

Hmmm, my way for having a fileted fish? Buy it that way. I love fish, but I don't want to mess with it myself, lol.

Manton · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by iammatt

Mainly the differences are how to deal with the rib cage in round fish. You can go around (I do this,) or you can cut through. If you cut through, you can do it a few different ways -- top to bottom, front to back, back to front.

I always go around because that's how i was taught and also I find that pulling bones out later more likely than not tears at the filet.

the shah · Jul 10, 2011

KJT · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by shahanshah

what are we looking at?

mgm9128 · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by nmprisons

Having cut hundreds of pounds of fish a day for months at a time (use to be a fisherman), I can tell you that "skinning" (assuming you mean taking the fillet off the skin, rather than pulling the skin off the fillet, since the latter can damage the meat) is about 3% skill, 2% practice, and 95% the right knife.
I've been filleting with a 6" (which I'm not yet sure if this may be too short) utility knife by Shun. It's not a fillet knife, technically. But it does the job well. I am always sure to sharpen it well each time I use it, as you're right; it makes a world of a difference.

the shah · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by KJT

what are we looking at?
on the left, a celery "stew" served over a bed of rice + saffron, some fresh herbs (mint, basil) and a slice of radish on it, a grilled tomato, a grilled onion that looks like the flower, and a grilled jalapeno. on the right, blueberries and mangos yummm

b1os · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by fritzl

not serious?
What's the matter with it? Any reasons not to do it?

nmprisons · Jul 10, 2011

Originally Posted by mgm9128

I've been filleting with a 6" (which I'm not yet sure if this may be too short) utility knife by Shun. It's not a fillet knife, technically. But it does the job well.

I am always sure to sharpen it well each time I use it, as you're right; it makes a world of a difference.

I have never worked with Shun knives, but I always take the most flexible blade that I can for removing the skin. Basically, you want to be able to feel the difference between just the skin and the skin and a little flesh. I know that some Japanese-trained chefs use a thicker (and longer) blade, but that has never worked for me.

What did you eat last night for dinner?

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