Fishmonger's Ally

How to complete Fishmonger's Ally

Breaking down a whole fish yourself turns an intimidating purchase into the cheapest, freshest way to buy seafood. It is a hands-on skill that connects you to what you are eating and lets you save the frame and trimmings for stock.

1. Buy a whole, very fresh fish (clear eyes, red gills, firm flesh) and work on a board you can rinse easily.
2. Scale it first by scraping a knife or scaler from tail to head under running water or inside a bag to contain the mess.
3. Slit the belly from vent to head and pull out the guts, then scrape the dark bloodline along the spine.
4. Cut behind the gills down to the spine, then run a flexible knife along the backbone from head to tail to free the first fillet.
5. Flip and repeat on the second side, then lay each fillet skin-down and trim the rib bones and pin bones.

Tips

• A flexible, sharp fillet knife makes clean cuts; a dull blade tears the flesh and wastes meat.
• Run a finger along the fillet to find pin bones and pull them with tweezers or pliers.
• Keep the head and bones for stock; they are the best part for flavor.

What counts as done

You have two clean, boneless fillets and a stripped frame from a fish you scaled, gutted, and cut yourself.