 |
How to fillet walleyeIt’s time to learn how to fillet walleye.
What a great eating fish. Out of all the freshwater fish caught in Canada, the walleye is the most popular. Another great thing about the walleye is they are easy to clean. So grab your cutting board and sharpen your knife and let’s clean a walleye.
This article will be described from the vantage point of a right handed person. If you are a lefty you will have to think of this in a mirror image. OK let’s learn how to fillet walleye.
Start with the belly of the fish toward you and the head of the walleye to the left. Take your knife and make a cut behind the pectoral fin into the fish up to the spine (halfway through the body). If the fish had a neck, this is basically where you are cutting.
Turn your knife and cut parallel to the backbone. Continue the cut toward the bottom of the fish and right through the end of the tail. You will now have one fillet attached to the outer skin. You should be able to see the rib cage attached to the meat.
Put that fillet to the side. Turn the fish over and do exactly the same thing on the other side. Cut under the pectoral fin turning the knife and running the cut all the way through the length of the body and out the tail. This cut might be a little tougher than the first one as you no longer have the “other half of the body” to act as a base. Take your time.
OK. You’re well on your way to learn how to fillet walleye. Next step is getting the rib cage off the fillet.
Take the first fillet and place it on the cutting board skin side up with the top of the fillet to the right. Place your hand on the top of the fillet pushing your fingers firmly into the skin to give you a good grip (some people push their knuckles into the fish rather than their fingers). This will flatten the ribs to the cutting board. This is what you want. It will ensure you don’t waste any meat.
Next, take your thumb and lift the side of the fillet closest to you and slide your knife between the rib cage and the meat. Start at the top of the fillet and cut toward what once was the belly. The key is to put pressure down on your knife as you cut along the rib cage. Make sure you slide your knife all the way through the fillet. You will know you have enough pressure on your knife when the blade “wows” a bit as you make your cut. Take your time with this. Do it slow at first. Once you get the hang of it, you will discover it is the fastest and cleanest way to remove the rib cage.
So far so good. Learning how to fillet walleye is a breeze.
OK, the tough stuff is over. Next place the fillet skin down on the table with the tail closest to you. Begin a cut at the tail to remove the meat from the skin. Carefully cut along the length of the fillet toward the top and completely remove the fillet in one piece.
Do the same for the second fillet.
Lastly we are going to remove the Y bones. This is simple in a walleye fillet and something that can be done without sacrificing much meat. You will notice the fillet has a “center line” running through it. You will also be able to feel the Y bones by running your fingers on the fillet parallel to the center line”.
Take your knife and make a cut along the “outside” of the Y bones. Typically the length of the cut should be about 1/3 of the fillet. Cut through to the cutting board. Secondly make a cut along the center line of the same length. Remove this piece of meat (which is full of Y bones).
That’s it. You’re done. You have learned how to fillet walleye.
Now clean that fillet and get it in the frying pan. It isn’t going to taste any better than it will right now.
|
