What's the best way to clean a fish?

Answer 1

It depends on the type of fish, how big it is, and how you plan to cook it. Even "filleting" is a different process depending on the fish type (bass-type (most fish) vs flatfish vs tuna).

Basically you're trying to separate the edible part (the meat) from the inedible (guts, bones, scales). Skin is sometimes edible, or easier for the diner to remove after cooking, other times you want the skin off before cooking.

The general categories are gutting (removing the guts and sometimes scaling and removing the head) in order to cook a fish whole (small fish can be fried whole, some larger fish (up to a few pounds) can be baked or steamed; steaking (generally gutting, then cutting the fish into steaks an inch or so thick); and filleting (cutting the meat off the carcass, leaving the backbone and the vertical ribs), which usually (but not always) involves skinning and de-boning. (Watch for the bones -- different types of fish have bones in different places.)

The "best way" as far as I'm concerned is filleting -- you're left with boneless pieces of fish which can be prepared any number of ways; or if you're going to freeze them, they'll take up less space in your freezer.

Answer 2

I still mangle when trying to fillet, so it's gut and dehead for me. True, you gotta pick out bones, but all in all, you get more meat off your fish... at least if you're like me.... (If you ever wanna see something funny, ask me to fillet a fish for you.)

As for scaling, if you've got a fish with large scales, try smothering mayonaisse on the skin side of the fish before cooking. After it's done, the skin peels right off, scales and all. (also butter or olive oil to an extent)

Answer 3

I have 1 chinese algae eater and 1 pletco in a 10 gallon tank. There is no alga in the tank what so ever. They clean the tank pretty good and eat all the food that the other fish don`t eat thus preventing the build up of algae. If you want just 1 fish a chinese algae eater is your best choice

Answer 4

Scale first, across the grain, cut off the head around the gills, then cut straight down the center of the fish, and remove all the innards, and rinse very well.

Answer 5

It really depends on the fish. Smaller ones are better just gutted and pan fried. Other larger species are generally filleted.

This site should help its kinda hard to explain without pictures.

http://www.cleanafish.com/

Answer 6

http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/cleaning-fish/cleaning_fish.html

Answer 7

Some like to just cut the head off @ gut . I like to fillet .

Answer 8

this is what i usually do...have a friend do it for me. I am too impatient and mess the fish up when i do it myself

Answer 9

scale it and then cut off head. Then cut open and take out all of the guts and rinse.

Answer 10

scale, gut, and fillet