Instructions

1. Lay the fish on its side. Insert the knife just in front of the vent, or anus, of the fish. Do not cut into the vent, because damaging the intestines can release bacteria that may damage the fish.

2. Cut shallowly along the center of the fish, moving from just before the vent towards the head. Use caution and avoid cutting directly into the intestines. Stop cutting when you reach the place where the two gill covers meet at the base of the head.

3. Slide the knife upward and cut downwards until you reach the backbone. Stop cutting when you reach behind the pectoral fin. The meat on this side of the fish should now be unattached from the body.

4. Turn the fish over and make the same cuts you did in the last step. The head of the fish should now only be connected to the backbone.

5. Place the fish on its belly and cut through the backbone near the head. The head is now only attached by the point where the intestine is attached to the vent. You can pull or slice through this area.

6. Remove the only remaining organ, the kidney, from the body cavity. Cut along the length of the kidney and remove by pulling or scraping it out.

7. Remove the various fins from the body by holding the fish by its tail and sliding the knife downwards.

8. Lay the fish on its side and cut along the length of the backbone so the body cavity is in two long pieces. You now have two large filets. You can repeat this action on both sides for smaller filets.

9. Remove the ribs by inserting the tip of the knife into the meat just below the first rib. Saw gently, with the knife angled to avoid cutting too far into the meat. You should have a small flap containing the membrane, ribs and a very small amount of meat when you are finished.

10. Place your fish on ice or in the refrigerator as soon as possible.