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How To Fillet Spanish Mackerel [VIDEO]
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Use a sharp knife to begin cleaning your fish before anything else.
This will make your job cleaning them a lot easier.
Now let’s get into the steps.
Step 1: Fillet the fish
Fish should be cut behind the pec fin, then the blade should be turned and slid down toward the tail.
You can get more meat off of them by keeping the knife close to the backbone.
Step 2: Cut the rib cage out
Cut the rib cage out of the fish after it has been filleted, but make sure to do so at an angle to leave more meat on the fillet.
Step 3: Skin the fillets
The key here is to keep the blade’s handle away from the table’s edge.
You can leave the most amount of meat on the fillet by doing this because it will help the blade stay parallel and close to the skin.
Another suggestion is to slightly incline the blade upward to prevent skin piercing.
Step 4: Cut the bloodline out
This bloodline is primarily to blame for the “fishy” flavor that people complain about, so eliminating it will result in fish that tastes better.
Step 5: Cut into thirds to make fish fingers (optional)
Cooking the fillets is very simple because they have been cut into fish fingers.
Step 6: Rinse off the fillets
Put the fillets in a bucket of saltwater as you finish filleting the remaining fish since saltwater is preferable to freshwater for saltwater fish.
Step 7: Bag them up!
Put the fish bags on ice if you’re traveling a distance.
How long does Spanish mackerel last?
The “sell-by” date on the package may pass during the storage period, but if the mackerel has been properly stored, it will still be safe to use after the sell-by date. Mackerel can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days after purchase.
Mackerel can be cooked whole, but make sure your fishmonger gives it a thorough cleaning and scales it. Use a sharp, pointed filleting knife to cut two pieces from either side of the spine before cooking to avoid the bones.
FAQ
Can you eat the skin on Spanish mackerel?
Mackerels are very popular to enjoy when dining out or at home because of their thin, edible skin and lack of scales. The particularly tasty Spanish mackerel produces a fillet that is essentially boneless or a plate-sized cutlet.
Do you have to descale Spanish mackerel?
One of the few fish that don’t require their scales to be removed before cleaning or filleting is the mackerel because of its thin skin and tiny scales. Even if you don’t often work with whole fish, cleaning a mackerel is quick and easy. A utility knife or filleting knife with a long, thin, sharp blade is required.
