How to Fillet Salmon

• by Tracy

Introduction

Congrats! Now you need to fillet your fish. (Creative Commons photo by Charlie Kindel)

• Filleting salmon is not as hard as you think—it's certainly much easier than catching it! You will need a sharp fillet knife, a pair of tweezers and a discerning eye (those pesky needle bones are tiny!), but then you're well on your way to impressing friends with your fish filleting savvy. (While your salmon will be well on its way to your table.)

• Continue reading our guide to understand exactly how to wield your knife and cut away two perfect fillets from the fish you've procured. If this is the first time you've filleted a fish, go slowly and carefully and try to angle your knife away from you whenever possible. Over time, however, you might get as speedy as this guy.

What You'll Need

• You won't need much to fillet your fish, but a sharp fillet knife, a large cutting board and some tweezers are necessities. Gather the right tools before attempting to fillet salmon.

1. Whole salmon, gutted and scaled
2. Cutting board large enough to fit your fish
3. Sharp fillet knife
4. Tweezers or needle nose pliers
5. A towel to wipe your hands on

Step 1: Cut Along the Spine

• Your first step is to cut two fillets from your whole fish.

1. Place the fish on your cutting board in a position you find comfortable. Some people like the belly of the fish facing them, some prefer it the other way around.
2. With the fish on its side, cut into the fish perpendicular to its body, or at a mild slant just below the gills (where you can first feel soft tissue) until your knife hits the backbone.
3. Turn your knife 90 degrees so its blade is headed in the same direction as the tail and is parallel to the backbone.
4. Then slide your knife along the spine, moving towards the tail, separating the fillet from its backbone. This may be tricky at first as you cut through the ribs.
5. Keep a firm hold on the belly of the fish with your non-dominant hand. Try to gently pull the belly meat up and away from your cutting board while you use your knife to cut out from the backbone to get as much meat from your fish as possible.
6. When you reach the tail, cut slightly upward through the skin to avoid the anal fin.
7. Flip fish over to cut your second fillet. Hold the belly meat in the same way you did earlier, sliding knife along the backbone and maximizing the amount of meat in the fillet.

Step 2: Remove Ribs and Fat

• You'll now need to remove the ribs, belly lining and any extra fat from your salmon.

1. Place your fillet with the belly facing away from you (or whatever feels most comfortable).
2. Some experts cut away the first one or two ribs, angling your knife up away from the fish, because they are positioned slightly differently than the rest.
3. Starting near where the backbone used to be, cut just under the ribs.
4. Angle your knife slightly up towards the ribs, to leave as much meat on the fillet as possible.
5. Trim the fillet to remove any excess fat or belly lining on your fillets.

Step 3: Remove Needle Bones

Your salmon is ready for the grill! (Creative Commons photo by Thomas Kriese)

• Your final step is to feel for "needle bones" or "pin bones," which are very small and thus dangerous to swallow accidentally.

1. Feel along the center of the fish to identify the needle bones. They will be sticking up out of the fish at a perpendicular angle to the length of the fish.
2. You can try "arching" the fish up with your other hand to more easily identify bones sticking out of the fish.
3. Use your tweezers or pliers to remove each bone in one, swift motion.
4. Run your fingers along the center of the fish one more time to double check you've found all the bones.

Resources for How to Fillet Salmon

• Video Jug: How to Fillet a Salmon
• YouTube: How to Fillet Salmon with Lars
• All Recipes: How to Grill Salmon (Video)
• The Northwest Fly Fisherman: How to Fillet a Salmon
• Salmon University: How to Fillet a Salmon
• Amazon.com: Fillet Knives

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