In case you only have a scalpel..butterfly salmon fillet method

[skipper19]

I have seen a few questions on how to fillet big salmon. Most of us use 9 inch or bigger knives. I have had good results with a much smaller knife and thought I would share the method.

This fillet method is borrowed from the way I learned to do one of the strangest fish I know.... A flounder. Yup eyes on one side, wonder where his guts are, door mat. How do you make that into a pan fried yummy fillet?....Butterfly it!

I'll do my best to explain butterfly fillets here for a big salmon and eventualy I can try to put a pictorial display of my own, or maybe a video.

Like I previously mentioned, I use a 7 inch blade, but also have done this with a six incher. The key is flexibility of the blade and of course be sharp.

Step1 ...lay fish flat on a table either side up and see the lateral line running the length of the body from gill collar to tail along the mid section. That line is directly in line with the spine. You will cut into the line down to the spine all the way from gill collar to tail.

Step 2... Make three 90 degree cuts across that lateral line cut just made, starting at the tail where the meat ends, then one across the lateral line just behind the anal fin. The next just behind the dorsal fin. You could do one more midway to the collar but it splits the pin bones into more pieces and makes more work for removing them.

Step 3...at the head cut around the gill collar so that you get the nice meat around and under the gill plate and go around the pectoral fin.

Now what you have is 6 sections of meat to carve away from the spine and ribs. Just make sure to not cut too deeply into gut cavity on the cross cuts unless you maybe already gutted and gilled the fish before putting them in your cooler. That's the best way to get good tasty fillets if you can do that. If not then be careful not to cut into the guts.

Step 4...this is where the flexible blade is a must. At the tail, insert your blade in the lateral line and carve away the upper section of meat using the spine and radius bones as a guide. I leave the skin attached to the body so I have an easy grab with my free hand on the fish as I flip the carved section over and skin that section off the body. Repeat for the lower section by the same method. Move to the next section forward and remove those in the same order. Top first then bottom. Flip and skin off.

The last sections are longer and contain the pin bones in the upper section. Place your blade in the lateral line cut behind the gill collar and carve from the spine outwards toward the dorsal fin using the radius bones as a guide. You will be cutting through the pin bones as you follow the skeleton. Flip the section and carve the skin off.

Now the last section is the rib side. Angle the blade in the direction of the ribs and carve it down using the ribs as a guide on the knife flat. On this piece I flip the section and carve through the skin and leave the belly section and fins on the carcass. Just skin the section as you would for any fillet.

That is it for one side. The other side is the same method and progression. The main reason for removing the top sections first is to give you more room to angle the blade and move it towards the tail and down on the lower sections so as to not puncture into the gut cavity and follow the direction of the ribs and radius bones.

Pin bones can be removed along with a small thin strip of flesh from the section that came from the top in front of the dorsal fin. Run your fingers over the inside of the fillet and you can feel them. Sharpen your blade and make a slit along the outside of the pin bone line. Work carefully along it and carve away what I call the back strap of the fish. It's boneless. Now go the other side of the pin bones and slice away the thin flesh that will contain the pin bones. Now you have boneless fillets all skinned, in six serving size pieces from one side of the fish. When you get done with both sides, you have 12 nice size fillets and the carcass will be nearly bare bones and flaps of skin hanging. If done carefully you will be surprised how much more edible flesh you get. It's a great way to honor the king by enjoying as much as possible of its fleshy goodness.

I'll try to find pics or get some done in the near future. It's not hard, it does take a little time more than one swipe with the bubba, but when all done the fillets are all serving size and ready for the grill.

Mark

Here are some pics I found off another site. Not mine but similar to what I do, there are some extra diagonal cuts that I don't do as I explained about the pin bones.

Those pics I think the skin stays on the pieces. I flip it and skin the piece off and the skin flap stays on the carcass.

Mark

Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Mortigan]

 

I started butterflying them last year and it works great.  You can also leave the skin, add the marinade of your choice to the flesh side, close it like a book and grill.  Works great on fish small enough to grill whole!

[Sk8man]

Nice job of explaining Mark. If grilling them outside I leave the skin on to keep them from flaking apart during cooking and place them on aluminum foil and when they are done the skin sticks to the aluminum foil and I then trim off any of the dark lateral line stuff that might be on there once it has cooked.

[Adk1]

man thats great. thanks!