Lulu Grimes

How to... Scale and Gut Fish

Appears in
The Cook's Book of Everything
The Cook's Book of Everything

By Lulu Grimes

Published 2009

  • About
Fish need to be gutted fairly quickly as their digestive juices can break down and start to decompose the flesh. Once gutted, use the end of a teaspoon to remove any visible blood lines that run along the length of the spine, then rinse well — leaving blood in the fish may taint the flesh. For the same reason, snip out the gills. If the fins are looking ragged, trim them with scissors.
Method
  1. To scale a fish, run the back of a knife or a fish scaler firmly across the skin against the lie of the scales.
  2. With scissors, snip from the vent along to the gills, along the soft belly and then remove the guts. Snip out the gills.
  3. For a smaller fish, pull the head downwards and snap the spine, then pull the guts out through the belly. Rinse and pat dry.