Getting Flatfish Ready for Cooking

Unless someone caught the fish for you, leave this to the guys at the fish market. If you have to do it yourself, cut the fins off the sides and around the edges of the fish with heavy scissors and cut the gills out of the base of the head. Discard the gills. Scale the bottom (white side) of the fish by scraping it with a fish scaler or the back of a knife. It’s helpful to do this outside or by holding the fish in a clear, unscented garbage bag so the scales don’t fly everywhere. Some cooks scale the top dark skin and leave it on, but European cooks always remove it. There are two ways to remove the dark skin. Dover sole, which has very firm flesh, is easiest to skin because the skin can be yanked off in one big piece. Make a shallow cut all around the fish about ¼ inch [5 cm] from the edge and ¼ inch in from the end of the tail. Starting at the tail, slide the knife under the skin until you’ve loosened a small flap. Assuming you’re right-handed, grip this flap with your right hand and hold down the fishtail with your left. (Use a kitchen towel if the skin is slippery.) Pull the skin toward the fish’s head in one rapid movement until it comes away completely. This method doesn’t work with flounder or American sole because the flesh is too soft and will tear. You’ll need to cut the skin off in strips by sliding a long, thin, flexible knife under the skin.