How to Fillet and Serve Whole Fish

bon appétit magazine

Dawn Perry



A whole grilled fish looks (and tastes) impressive--assuming you can neatly dispatch it into fillets. Follow these steps, and pretty soon you'll be showing off at the table.

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1. Using a thin-bladed knife and starting just behind the head, cut along the backbone toward the tail. With your hand or a spatula, gently lift the top fillet away from the spine.

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2. Starting from the tail, slowly lift the spine, using the knife as needed to separate it from the bottom fillet. Discard head, tail, and spine.

3. Use knife to cut away any remaining rib bones from bottom fillet, and serve.

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