How to debone fish

Although fish meat is delicious and tender, many people face a problem when eating fish. There are too many fish bones, and some of them are too small to be found, so it is easy for fish bones to get stuck in the throat while eating fish. Parents with young children at home will remove the bones of the fish before cooking it. What is the method for deboning fish?

1. Gill division

Wash the fish, remove the scales, gills and fins, take out the internal organs from the gills, wipe off the moisture, lay it flat on a chopping board, lift the gill cover, cut off the part where the head connects to the spine (do not cut the meat and skin), then use a flat-bladed steel knife or bamboo knife (cut into the shape of a steel knife using bamboo strips) to reach into the fish body through the gills, and slowly push towards the tail of the fish close to the fish bones to separate the fish bones from the fish meat, first deal with the abdomen and then the back; then turn the fish over and use the same method to separate the fish bones from the fish meat on the other side. Then break the tailbone from the fish's tail, being careful not to cut the skin (i.e. the fish's tail is still connected to the fish meat through the skin), and gently remove the fishbone from the fish's gills.

The advantage of this method is that it can keep the fish skin intact, making it suitable for making high-end dishes. However, when choosing fish, it is not advisable to choose one that is too large, as the bones of such fish will be hard to remove. It is generally better to choose fish weighing around 600 grams.

2. Back division method

Back deboning is a common method for deboning whole fish. The operation is divided into two steps: 1. Remove the spine. After removing the scales, gills and fins of the fish, lay it flat on the chopping board with the head facing outwards and the back facing right. Press the fish's belly with your left hand, and use your right hand to cut into the fish's upper spine, making a slit from behind the gills to the tail. Then use your left hand that is still pressing on the fish's belly to lift it up to open the slit. Then slice the fish from the seam towards the bone, slice through the fish's spine, and slice where the sternum and spine are connected (be careful not to damage the meat in the fish's belly when slicing). When the spine of the fish is completely separated from the fish meat, turn the fish over with its head facing inward and its back facing right, and place it on a chopping block. Use the same method to separate the vertebrae from the fish meat on the other side. Then pull the spine out from the incision on the back and cut the spine near the head and tail of the fish. The entire skeleton of the fish body has been basically taken out, and the head and tail of the fish are still connected to the fish meat; ② Remove the chest and ribs. Place the fish belly down on the chopping board. Use your left hand to turn over the fish meat from the knife edge. At the place where the severed sternum is connected to the spine, the root of the sternum is already exposed from the meat. Use your right hand to slice down against the sternum at a slight angle. Pull the knife from the head to the tail of the fish. First, slice the sternum near the tail away from the fish body. Then use your left hand to lift the sternum near the tail. Use the knife to slice the sternum near the head away from the fish body. This way, all the sternum on one side is removed. Then turn the fish over and use the same knife technique to remove the breastbone on the other side. Finally, close the fish body. The appearance still retains the complete form of the fish.

Fish deboned using this method is suitable for making stuffed fish dishes, etc.

3. Note

When deboning a whole fish, you should choose a fresh fish weighing about 500 grams. Do not break the skin during the initial processing. The internal organs do not need to be removed (taken out together when removing the bones). If you want to remove the internal organs, you can take them out from the gill opening. The muscles of the fish body are soft and easy to break, so you must be especially careful when cutting, cut accurately and use moderate force.