How to Scale, Gut and Clean a Fish
Fishing is a popular pastime the world over. It’s both a personal hobby and a delightful social activity. Parents bond with their children during fishing trips. Friends create lifelong memories while fishing. It is also fun sitting in solitude and fishing all day long.
But what happens after you catch a bucket full of live fish and want to prepare it for dinner or future use?
Whether you intend using it immediately or freezing it for future use, fish has to be cleaned immediately or it won’t be good for eating. Fortunately, preparing fish is not as hard as you think. All you need to do is scale, gut and clean it.
Scaling A Fish
Scaling a fish involves removing the scales from the fish. Fish can be scaled before or after gutting. However, it is best done before gutting especially if it is a large fish. Most fish have scales that have to be removed.
Even though it is a simple process, it can be messy to perform, especially to an amateur. Loose scales fly into places you’d rather they didn’t. Because of this, scaling is best done outside. If you have to do inside the house, do it over a deep kitchen sink, washbasin or tub.
Why Scale A Fish?
Unless you intend to remove the fish skin or fillet it, the scales have to be removed first. Fish scales are not edible and having them appear on your dinner plate is unsightly.
Some people choose to cook the fish then remove the skin right before serving. This is an ingenious way of getting rid of the scales. However, the drawback of this method of getting rid of scales is that it leaves the fish dry and bland after cooking. Most of the moisture and flavor of fish come from its skin. If the skin is removed, the taste of the fish is greatly affected.
The best way to get rid of scales is by scaling the fish. This can be done using a butter knife or a specially designed fish scaler. If using a knife, be careful not to press too hard — this will gash the fish skin or you may end up getting hurt.
How To Scale A Fish
- Spread a large section of a newspaper or a clean garbage bag under the cutting board.
- Hold the fishtail and use the fish scaler or butter knife to run up and down the fish body.
- Scrape from tail to head, then back and forth motions to lift the scales off.
- Scale the collar, tail and the area near the fin.
- Turn the fish around and repeat on the other side.
- Check that all the scales have been removed by running a finger against the grain of the fish.
Some people prefer to slice off the scales, instead of scraping them off. Only professionals with much experience can tell which fish this can be done to and how to do it without slicing off too much of the good skin.
The above method is usually done for convenience and in certain culinary situations where speed is valued.
Gutting A Fish
Gutting a fish involves removing the innards and other contents of the fish abdomen. While gutting a fish, you may choose to cut off the head and tail or leave them in place. However, the gills and the eyes must be removed. Get rid of the gills by pulling them out or using scissors to cut them out. Likewise, the fins must be removed or at least trimmed. They can be trimmed with scissors.
Why Gut A Fish?
Fish entrails must be removed before cooking for the safety of the eaters. Just like the scales, the innards are not edible as they contain the toxic wastes of the fish. If left inside the fish, it will spoil the taste and flavor of the fish and cause food poisoning.
To gut fish, you need a fillet knife. Different gutting techniques depend on the type and size of fish. However, in all of them, the innards are removed regardless of the fish shape or size.
How To Gut A Fish
- Spread a large section of a newspaper or a clean garbage bag beneath the cutting board.
- Lay the fish down on the cutting board
- Use the fillet knife to cut open the abdomen of the fish starting from the gills and stopping above the tail.
- Use the tip of the knife to ensure the cut is shallow and does not pierce the innards.
- Spread the fish open and pull out the guts.
Cleaning A Fish
After scaling and gutting your fish, you have to clean it and get it ready or cooking or storage. Clean the fish as soon as you can to prevent spoilage. Ensure you have access to running water as you will not only need it for the fish but for cleaning everything used for preparing the fish.
- Rinse the fish with cold water to clean it and remove traces of blood and slime.
- If the fish has a blood clot along the bone, use your finger or knife to scrape it out.
- Rub the cavity with rock salt to remove black skin.
- Rinse again thoroughly.
- Hose down the cleaning station or your prep area immediately you’re finished.
- Wash off the knife, sink, tub and everything you used to clean the fish. The smell of fish is unpleasant and is often hard to get rid of. Use fragranced dishwashing liquid to clean everything used to prepare the fish.
- Double-bag the fish innards before disposing of them. Rotting innards have an extremely horrible odor. Dispose of them as soon as possible.
After cleaning the fish, it can be cooked immediately or refrigerated for as long as a week without significant deterioration. If you intend to store it for longer periods, wrap it in film or aluminum bag and freeze till you want to use it.
Hail, Fish!
Fish is not just delicious, it is also rich in essential vitamins and minerals. It contains high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids beneficial to human metabolism. Apart from the various health benefits of fish, whenever possible – and if time is available – it is best to scale, gut and cook your fish by yourself.
If you’re wondering where you can possibly get fresh fish among the boutiques and ice-cream shops of Larchmont Village, remember we have a farmers market! Dry Dock is the longstanding vendor known for coming out early on Sunday before the formal 10:00 start time. Come visit the boulevard for sushi-grade salmon, ahi tuna, albacore tuna, kingfish, corvina seabass, halibut and more!
And nearby on Melrose, Little Fish sets up shop at L.A. Grocery and Cafe to sell locally caught fish to customers.