-
Gather Your Tools
Whether you call it splitting, butterflying or kiting, removing the backbone and ribs of a whole fish is an important skill for a seafood cook to learn.
Butterflying removes most—but not all—of the bones in a fish, and it creates a larger cavity for stuffing, and stuffing is the primary reason to butterfly a fish.
Kiting, so called because it makes the finished fish look like a kite, is butterflying when you remove the head of the fish as well. Kiting is mainly used when smoking fish, especially haddock to make the smoked Scottish delicacy finnan haddie.
What you'll need: Kitchen shears, a very sharp fillet knife, a cutting board and, of course, a fish that has been scaled and gutted. Make sure the gills are also removed.
Continue to 2 of 10 below. -
Cut out the Bottom Fins
Start by slicing along the fish's backbone toward the tail. You will soon meet a row of bottom fins. Remove these by guiding the knife along one side of the fin bones, which extend into the fillet about a half-inch or so.
Once you reach the end of the row of fin bones, repeat the process on the other side of the fin bones.
Continue to 3 of 10 below. -
Cut Toward the Tail
Leaving the fin bones in—this is a good guide and handle—continue cutting along the backbone toward the tail. A good way to do this is to slice-and-bounce the fillet knife on top of the backbone as you go; this keeps you in touch with the backbone and ensures that you don't lose any meat.
Continue to 4 of 10 below. -
-
Slice Around the Ribs
Slip the knife blade underneath the ribs of the fish and slice upward, away from the backbone. Make sure your blade is in contact with the ribs at all times so you do not lose any meat. You may have to cut through pin bones as you go through the ribs; this is OK.
Continue to 6 of 10 below. -
-
-
-
-