Filleting Whole Fish

I completely understand people’s reluctance to fillet fish at home. It is messier than just bringing fillets home, and you have to get rid of the waste, which will smell the kitchen out if you accidentally leave a little scrap hidden away somewhere. So you do have to be diligent when cleaning! By all means purchase fillets and follow the recipes, or just be inspired by them, if that is what you are more comfortable with. But let’s get back to the reasons why it is better to fillet your own fish (assuming that it has been well looked after before you get it). One, you can tell very easily whether the fish is fresh. Two, you can make sure you dry fillet it. By this I mean the opposite to wet filleting, which is what ninety-nine per cent of all fish that is filleted goes through. Those fish are rinsed in fresh water as they are being filleted, which makes the process quick and easy. But I hate standing at the fish market watching beautiful fish being sloshed through tubs of running water. Once a fish is dead it shouldn’t see water again; the fresh water will only dilute the oils that give the fish its flavour, and you will end up compromising on flavour and texture. It is a great shame, but you can see fish fillets in bags with juice at the bottom heading into restaurants every day, all over the world. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone looked after fish the way it should be?