Removing the Gills

Because gills collect dirt and grit, they are often removed. You only have to worry about this if you’re cooking a whole salmon or using the head, such as for the red wine sauce. The fish seller will usually do it for you in a shop, but if you’ve caught your own fish, after gutting it, use heavy kitchen shears to cut through the base of the head where the two hard pieces of cartilage on each side of the salmon’s head join at the bottom. At this point it will be easy to see the pink or red gills. Cut along the gills where they join the fish while tugging at them with your fingers and the whole gill section should come out.