You've Caught the Fish.
Now What?
Next to having a fish, the most important thing is cleaning it. Do it wrong and waste a good chunk of meat; prepare it the right way and savor every bite. Bought at a fish market, your finny meal probably already has been cleaned. But if you're given a fish or have caught your own, do this simple test to see whether it's really fresh: Lift the gill covering behind the fish's head to see if the gills are still red. You may want to pass on this one if the gills are only a light pink, and you'd definitely discard a fish with gray-colored gills.
Decide now whether to scale the fish. If barbecuing fish with soft flesh, such as bluefish or jumping mullet, you may leave the scales intact and place the fish on the grill with the scale side down to prevent the flesh from searing. A sharp knife edge rubbed counter to the scales, from the tail forward, will scrape them off. A store-bought fish scaler will make the job a little easier. Rinsing the fish in cold water will remove the slippery covering making the fish easier to hold for scaling and cleaning. It's also a good idea to place a sheet or two of newspaper under the fish, atop a wooden or plastic carving board. When you're done, just wrap the remains in the newspaper and save on cleanup time.
In a few quick steps, you'll have these in the frying pan.
Photo: P. Harrison
Now comes the surgery. Key to success here is a sharp knife, preferably a filleting knife. Sharpen the blade after every few cuts and you'll glide right through the work. If you want the head removed, cut with a sawing motion behind the gills. Next, lay the fish on its side and cut from the top down the midline of the fish until you reach the small orifice toward the tail. Remove the entrails and discard them. Small specimens, such as hog fish or spot, don't need to be filleted. Just make several crosswise cuts on each side and they're ready for the frying pan.
It's not difficult to fillet fish. With the fish on one side, lift the other side and
place the knife edge at the top of the fish's spine. Slowly start cutting close to the
bone in the direction of the tail, while gently pressing the outside of the fish with your
free hand to hold the knife in line as the blade separates flesh from bone. When
completed, flip the fish onto its other side and repeat the process. The result should be
two nice fillets. If you want to see how the pros clean fish, visit the Morehead City
docks in season and watch as party boat crew members clean the day's catch. They make it
look easy, and with a little practice there's no good reason why it shouldn't be as easy
for you.