The preparation of any fish dish begins with the preparation of the fish - or rather, with its cutting. Usually, in order to cut fish, the simplest tools are used, which are likely to be found in every kitchen: a grater for removing scales, a special fish knife, scissors, a filleting knife, a fish cutting board and a sharpening bar.
- Remember that the fish cutting board should be not only large and stable, but also heavy enough. It is best to choose a smooth, well-polished board made of thin, dense wood for this purpose. Cutting knives for fish should be as sharp as possible, and if the knife begins to dull during the cutting process, try to immediately use a sharpening block.
- Do not torture the fish - in no case do not start cleaning the fish if you see that it is still alive. Live fish should be killed immediately after they have been taken out of the water, without leaving them to suffocate in the air. After you have verified that the fish is dead, cut the spine just behind the head - this procedure allows you to immediately release excess blood. The only drawback of this method is that it will be more difficult to cut the carcass later, namely, to remove the skin. Alternatively, you can use the method of cutting the abdominal aorta in a fish. In this case, the blood will drain quickly, and the meat will retain its elasticity, whiteness and rich taste.
- If the blood from the carcass is completely glass, you can start cutting. First, you need to remove the gills and all the insides from the fish - they can become a real hotbed of bacteria and cause rapid spoilage of the fish. After that, the fish are cleaned of scales, and skin is removed from some varieties of fish. Gutted fish can be cut into pieces, or can be cut into fillets, separating the bones from the meat.
- To cut the fish properly, try not to damage the meat and intestines. If the intestines of the fish are ruptured or cut open, its contents can enter the abdominal cavity and impart an unpleasant aftertaste to the fish meat. Remember to rinse the carcass thoroughly.
- Remember that if you plan to cook the fish not immediately after cutting, but a little later, you should not cut the carcass into small pieces. When cutting fish, try to remove very small or overly sharp bones or their fragments. In some fish breeds, cutting consists of gutting, skinning and extracting the spine.
