Your husband came from fishing and asks to cook delicious cutlets from the pike he caught? Or did you buy fish in frozen form? This article will talk about how to cut a pike into fillets. To do this, you will need a cutting board, a kitchen knife and, in fact, the fish itself.
Cutting process
If you need to carve a frozen pike, then you must first prepare for this. Pour cool water into a deep bowl, add a little salt and put the pike there. Water should completely cover the fish. You can also thaw it in the microwave.
Rinse the fish ready for cutting thoroughly under a tap and dry a little. Next, you can move on to the question of how to carve a pike. With a sharp knife, cut the fins on the belly, capturing a thin strip of skin. Next, make an incision along the line of gills. Gently spread the abdomen and remove the insides.
Now the fish is gutted, and we will look at how to cut a pike into fillets. Carefully divide the fish into two halves by drawing a knife from the gills to the tail along its ridge. As a result, you get one piece of pike fillet. And in the second half there is a ridge and a head.
Next, you need to separate the pulp from the ridge. Use a sharp knife, turning the second half of the fish with the ridge down, with a gentle movement, cut the fillet. Clear the fish from the bones. To do this, remove them from the lower edges of the fillet where the innards were.
Now let's get down to the skin. Put a piece of filet down with the skin. Take a fork in your hand and hold the fish from the side of the tail to the board. With your other hand, separate the fillet from the skin, holding the knife up from the tail with the knife. The same will need to be done with the second piece of fish. Your filet is now ready.
What to cook?
Now you know how to cut a pike into fillets. It can be used to prepare delicious cutlets, as well as fry, stew, bake and boil. Pike meat is useful for people aged and toddlers, as it is dietary.
It is curious that in some countries the food from such a fillet is considered a delicacy. Pike meat contains a group of vitamins B, rich in phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. It helps to cleanse the body of slagging, normalizes blood pressure and has a positive effect on mental activity.
Precautionary measures
Before you cut the pike into fillets, take all precautions. It is better to wear rubber gloves sold in hardware stores. Wear regular cotton over them. The fish will not slip. The risk of accidentally cutting yourself will be minimal. And after cutting the pike, your hands will not smell like fish, and gloves can be washed or just thrown out.
On the question of how to properly carve a pike, there is one important point: when cleaning the fish from the insides, it is necessary to handle the gall bladder carefully. It is very thin and sometimes breaks. You need to prevent bile from getting on the fillet, otherwise the meat will be very bitter. If the spill could not be avoided, thoroughly wash the fish under the tap.
Remember your safety! The blade of the knife should always be directed in the opposite direction from the hand, which is free. If you are cutting fish with your right hand, always point it to the right. At this time, the left will be located in the opposite direction and will not be able to meet with a sharp blade.