How to Fillet a Fish and Remove the Bones

The ideal knife for filleting is a thin, long, flexible fillet knife; its flexibility makes it easier to follow the line of the bones. You can also fillet with a general-purpose kitchen knife, but the thicker the blade, the more flesh may be cut away from the bones.

To prevent slipping, place the fish on a dry, not wet, surface and a stable cutting board. Hold the fish firmly by the tail so you can guide the knife in a controlled way with your other hand.

Starting just behind the gills, guide the knife toward the tail just above the backbone, following the line where the flesh meets the bone. Keeping the blade at a steady angle separates the flesh from the backbone in one piece, leaving almost no meat on the bone.

As you approach the rib bones, lift the knife slightly and pass just above them. Work carefully here to keep the fillet intact.

After filleting, lightly run your fingertips over the flesh from head to tail to feel for small, hard tips. These are the thin bones embedded in the flesh but not attached to the backbone. Grip each one firmly with tweezers and remove it by pulling gently in the direction of the muscle fibers.

These bones are quite noticeable in fish such as salmon and trout. Sea bream and sea bass have fewer, but they are not completely free of them, so check every fish.

To remove the skin, turn the fillet over and make a small cut at the tail end. Place the knife at a slight angle between the skin and flesh, hold the skin steady, and move the knife forward. If the blade is too steep, the flesh will break apart; if it is too shallow, flesh will remain on the skin.

Instead of moving the knife, pulling the skin backward while keeping the knife steady gives you more control. This technique is especially useful with thin-skinned fish. Holding the edge of the skin with your other hand using a damp cloth or paper towel helps prevent slipping and makes the process much easier.

With small fish such as anchovies, filleting is usually done by hand rather than cutting along the backbone with a separate knife. After opening the belly and removing the innards, hold the backbone near the head and pull it toward the tail in one motion. The backbone usually comes away in one piece with the pin bones attached.

This technique does not work for larger fish because their bones are attached to the flesh too firmly to separate by hand; for those fish, cutting along the backbone with a knife is the only practical method.