Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok so Ive looked and can't find much info on filleting fish on the forum and have been overwhelmed with YouTube clips on filleting fish, in my case rainbow trout.
Anyone have some favourite hints, clips or the like to assist?
Do I gut them? Do I chill them?

Gutting and gilling trout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-FqOOWNBqk Easy peasy method.

Filleting trout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR2duUZkiI0 Make sure your knife is sharp and not too big as it can be unwieldy.

Alternative, more 'traditional' way to fillet: http://youtu.be/JGrMmASWmNc?t=1m18s Your choice whether to leave the head on, do that after gutting and gilling as per first video.

I gut first then starting from behind the head run the filleting knife along the backbone all the way to the tail. Then trim any rib bones and bobs your uncle. I leave the skin on but you can remove it if need be.

Trout was the first fish I learned to fillet and after the first 20 or so I got better at it.

Now I have mastered the art of filleting silver perch which are a PITA [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND SMILING EYES] and I see why people cook them whole


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Thanks peeps, it's harvest time, I'll let you know how it goes.

Good luck, you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.

If fish are going to become part of your life from now on I recommend getting a good pair of fish bone tweezers. The ones I have set me back $20 but they were well worth it. I have this pair:



But if I could justify the extra expense I'd get these ones, the angled head would make it just that bit more versatile I think. Alas they weren't in production when I bought mine years ago anyway. And at $40-45 they are a tad expensive, lol.

Thanks for the info Ben and Azira.
Looks so much easier on YouTube...

Job done.
Finished up following the clip Azira posted.

I think I need more practice.
Anyway here's some of the result.


Didn't know there were fish bone tweezers. Do they have a wide pinch zone?

Looks like a pretty decent job to me!

The tips of the tweezers I have (first photo) are 18mm wide. It makes gripping the bones really easy. My mum used to use a really skinny narrow pair at her work and she said it was really frustrating, quite a contrast to when she used mine.

I think the ones in the second photo aren't as wide, but the angled tip would make gripping teeny bones a little bit easier methinks.

Perfect colour flesh Skeggly and nice filleting too

Nice job skeggley. Nice looking fillets


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Since leaving Alaska years ago,I don't get too clean too many trout. My dad always gutted all fish under a few pounds, but my wife simply won't pick through any bones, so I've gotten very good at filleting smallish fish. I didn't look at the videos, but to get the cleanest fillets, I like working the knife along the backbone after making the first cut behind the gills. On large fish, it's not as necessary, if you lose a few ounces on a 5 lb filter, it's not a huge deal. If you lose a few on a 6 oz filter, you're losing a third of your meal. Still think traditional gutting for smaller fish is the best.

These are the best I've ever found for deboning, they lock onto the bone so it won't slip, and have a great grabbing surface.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DENTAL-SURGI ... 3f3ccf6979

Cheap too.

I hear they're quite popular in Colorado as well.

Any tips for filleting jade perch?

And silver perch too?