handle the horse mackerel

On a Sunday evening, I decided to fillet the horse mackerel I had caught. They were just the right size, and while gutting them would have sufficed, I decided to challenge myself and try filleting them into three pieces.

With a few to deal with, I experimented with various methods. You know, the classic ‘belly-back-back-belly’ approach and such! After filleting five or six, I started to get the hang of it, at least on one side, creating fillets that resembled what you might see at a restaurant. But then came the tricky part – the other side.

‘If I come at it from that angle, it’s against the grain, right?’ ‘But it seems quite challenging from this side…’ – I had quite a bit of trial and error!

I even read a book on ‘How to Fillet Fish,’ but reading alone doesn’t make you an expert! What I did understand quite clearly, though, was that if you know the right angles to insert the knife, using a sharp knife is essential. If you’re not entirely sure, the knife might go in at the wrong angle and cut in the wrong places!

While it’s fun to catch big fish, when it comes to practicing filleting, it seems that catching a good-sized fish like horse mackerel, filleting a bunch of them, and getting plenty of practice might be the way to go. It could be the best way to learn as you fillet and cook your catch, discovering many lessons along the way!

hibishugyo

2007-03-05