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How to cut herring into fillets: video
If you do not know how to cut herring, so you buy ready-made semi-finished products, read the instructions below. A detailed description of the steps will help you quickly learn how to extract fillets in just a few minutes.
How to cut a herring and separate fillets: the preparatory stage
Cover your cutting board with a newspaper before going to work to keep it less dirty. This will also make it easier to clean up fish residues later on. The knife should be sharp so that it can easily cut through the skin.
An easy way to cut herring into fillets
First you need to remove all inedible elements:
- Cut the belly, slightly stepping back from the middle. The ribs end at this point, so the meat is easily cut.
- Make an incision, half separating the head, and grab the front fin while doing this.
- Take out milk or caviar so as not to accidentally throw it away.
- Pull the giblets up to the head and make a second incision, removing the middle of the belly from the protective layers of the bones.
- Cut off the head and discard with the entrails.
The preparatory stage has been completed, now the fish carcass needs to be rinsed under running water and at the same time removed the black film from the belly.
How to cut gutted herring?
Changing the newspaper so as not to stain the clean fish, you can continue to work:
- cutting the skin and meat on both sides, you need to remove the dorsal and pelvic fins;
- to remove the skin, you need to pick it up near the cut off the head and gently pull towards the tail. If the skin breaks during removal, you should pry it off with a knife again and continue working;
- to separate the fish from the skeleton, you need to press on the tail, dividing it into two parts, and then pull in different directions. As a result, the meat is separated from the bones, and the skeleton remains in one of the halves.
This option is suitable for cutting salted herring. However, if the fish is fresh, you will have to separate the fillets by making cuts along the bone line. As a result, the cut fish will be in the form of dorsal and abdominal fillets. Once cleaned, they can be used to prepare a variety of dishes.
Video: how to cut herring
If you have never butchered fish, watch the instructional video. This will allow you to better imagine the process, as well as find out the possible nuances of painstaking work.
For the preparation of ready-made semi-finished products, small or damaged specimens are most often used. By learning how to independently separate herring meat from bones and skin, you can diversify your menu by offering family and friends dishes from the large fish you have chosen.