Advice & Info: Filleting Fish - well chilled is the trick

Well chilled It’s much easier to fillet snapper and other fish once its had time to ‘set’ on ice. Instead of filleting fish on the day they were caught, try filleting them the following morning after they’ve spent the night on ice.

Of course, you need to ensure you have sufficient ice to last through the night, but most modern chilly bins will easily keep ice for several days. Saltwater ice is best, if you can get it. It’s colder than freshwater ice and takes longer to melt. A mixture of salt ice and seawater is the best way to chill freshly caught fish and you can happily leave the fish in the slurry overnight or longer.

Another alternative is to place the fish on a layer of salt ice, covering it with ice flakes. This will ‘set’ fish in a few hours, but don’t leave fish this way overnight – it will freeze. Ordinary ice mixed with a bit of seawater chills fish pretty well, too, but don’t leave fish in a freshwater ice bath for long – certainly not overnight. The freshwater gets into the fish pretty quickly, spoiling it.

You’ll know your fillets have ‘set’ when you fillet them. Use gloves, because the flesh will be really cold, and it will have a firm texture and a grey-white colour. Fillets will come away from the bone easily, leaving a layer of fat on the knife. Filleting chilled fish the next day is quicker and easier and results in the fillets that keep better for longer. Try it.