Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Prepare the fish for cleaning
• Method 2 of 4: How to clean fish with scales
• Method 3 of 4: How to clean fish with skin
• Method 4 of 4: How to remove fish entrails
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

After a great day on the water and a great catch, you still have to do a bit of work before enjoying a delicious fish dinner. Cleaning the fish can become easy once you practice a little with this activity. In this article, you will learn how to properly clean fish with and without scales, as well as how to properly remove the guts before cooking fish fillets.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Prepare the fish for cleaning

1. 1 Clean the fish no later than 1-2 hours after catching it. The fish spoils quickly, so it is best to clean it immediately after fishing. When fishing, keep the fish alive in the water and then place them in a portable refrigerator.
   • Keep fish moist before cleaning. If the fish has dried out, place it in cool water for a while before cleaning. This will make it easier to remove the scales.
   • If you buy whole fish from the market, clean it as soon as you get home, without first freezing it. It is also best to eat it on the day of purchase.
2. 2 Set up a fish cleaning table outside and cover it with newspapers. Try to find a desk that is high enough for you to work comfortably.The table should also be easy to clean so that you can rinse it out with a garden hose when finished.
   • It is better not to clean the fish indoors. Cleaning fish is a messy business, and you probably won't want to wash your kitchen set of fish scales and intestines.
   • Many ports and fishing stations are equipped with cleaning aids. Make sure there is running water.
3. 3 Make sure you bring everything you need before starting cleaning. Place a bucket for fish intestines, gloves, a sharp knife for cutting, and a container for cleaned fish. If you have a lot of fish, add ice to the water to keep the fish fresh.
   • If your fish is scaled, you will need a knife with a rounded end.
   • if your fish does not have scales, you will need skin scraping tongs.

Method 2 of 4: How to clean fish with scales

1. 1 Remove the fish from the container onto a table covered with newspaper.
   • Clean only one fish at a time. Keep all other fish in a refrigerated container.
2. 2 Start peeling off the scales. Hold the fish firmly by the head and scrape off the scales from the tail to the gills with a rounded knife. Press the knife hard enough against the fish. The scales should fly off easily.
   • Shoot the scales in short, quick strokes. Don't press too hard.
   • Use the knife carefully around the fins, otherwise it is easy to injure yourself and puncture your hands.
   • Make sure to remove the scales from both sides of the fish. Be sure to remove scales from the pectoral and dorsal fins and from the larynx along the edges of the gills.
3. 3 Rinse the fish. Use a garden hose to flush. The water must be under sufficient pressure to remove any remnants of the scales. Do not direct too strong a jet of water at the fish, as the meat inside is very tender and easily damaged.
4. 4 Place the cleaned fish in a refrigerated container and move on to the next. When you are ready to remove the guts, skip to the step "How to remove the guts from the fish."

Method 3 of 4: How to clean fish with skin

1. 1 Place the fish (catfish) on a table covered with newspaper.
   • If you are cleaning catfish, it is best to wear gloves. Catfish have very sharp fins.
   • Again, clean only one fish at a time and store the rest in a refrigerated place.
2. 2 Make an incision behind the dorsal fin on the back and below the second dorsal fin. While doing this, hold the fish tightly by the head.
   • Trim the dorsal and pelvic fins as desired. If you are dealing with a particularly prickly catfish, it may be easier to remove the skin from it if you remove the fins. This is not necessary unless your catfish is pricked.
3. 3 Make a perpendicular incision along the spine. Be careful not to break your spine with a knife. Just make a shallow cut to make it easier to clean the fish.
4. 4 Use forceps to remove the skin. Place the fish on one side and, using tongs, grab the skin at the incision and pull it towards the tail. Flip the fish over and do the same on the other side.
   • Use a knife to peel off the leather if it is not easy to remove.
   • Remove any remaining pieces of skin with your fingers if necessary.
5. 5 Rinse the fish with a garden hose. The water must be under sufficient pressure to remove any remnants of the scales. Do not direct too strong a jet of water at the fish, as the meat inside is very tender and easily damaged.
6. 6 Place the cleaned fish in a refrigerated container and move on to the next.

Method 4 of 4: How to remove fish entrails

1. 1 Insert the sirloin knife into the anus next to the tail. Extend the knife from the tail to the head, slicing through the fish to the base of the gills.
   • You can hold a small fish in one hand and cut the fish with the other at the same time. Hold a large fish by its back on the table.
2. 2 Open the fish's abdomen with your fingers. Pull out the guts. Place them in a prepared bucket.
3. 3 Flush the abdomen with a jet of water. Use a garden hose to rinse the fish outside as well.
4. 4 Cut off the head if desired. Trout is usually cooked with the head, and in small fish, the heads are cut off at the gills.
5. 5 The fish is ready to cook.

Tips

• Wash the table for cleaning before the scales and debris dry on it. Collect entrails, heads, and scales and bury or destroy them so that the foul odor doesn't come as a surprise the next day. Fish remains are good for plants. Therefore, if you can bury them in the garden, they will help your plants grow.
• Some fish have a dark strip of tissue that runs down the abdomen. Remove it to get rid of the strong buttery taste.
• Using a mild rounded knife or spoon can remove the insides without damaging the fish meat.
• If you want to clean the fish indoors, fill up a container of water and scrape off the scales while keeping the fish underwater. In this case, the scales will not fly to the sides. Rinse the fish well after cleaning.
• Fish with thin scales, such as flounder, require a lot of patience when cleaning. Be careful and give this procedure enough time. Some people do not like the scales in the mouth when they eat.
• Larger fish should take longer to cook.
• By sprinkling the fish with lemon juice and water, you can get rid of the unpleasant fishy smell after cleaning.
• Fillet knives as well as electric knives are very handy, especially when cleaning large fish.

Warnings

• Some exotic fish can be toxic if not properly cooked, such as blowfish.
• Take a close look at the fish world of the region where you go fishing and find out which fish you shouldn't eat.
• Some fish have very sharp teeth. If you are suddenly bitten by a fish, open your mouth and pull your finger out. Do not jerk your finger while the fish's mouth is closed and teeth are clenched.
• Fish fins can be very sharp. They can cause serious injury.
• A good rule of thumb: If fish are caught in a reservoir, do not eat them as they may be contaminated. If you catch fish in the lake, you can cook it, as the water in the lake is constantly renewed, for example, by streams or rivers.
• Some fish are very bony or taste too intense to be edible.

What do you need

• Knife
• Table
• Round end knife
• Container for peeled fish
• Scale and viscera bucket
• Gloves (optional)
• Fish Skin Tongs