If you want to skin flat fish, such as plaice, sole and turbot, before filleting, it's best to pull the skin off from the tail and right down to the head in one go. Make a small cut across the skin at the tail end and lever up a flap of skin with the point of the knife. Then, holding the tail firmly with one hand, grip the skin with the other hand and pull it off down to the head. Repeat on the second side.
To fillet flat fish, use a very sharp flexible filleting knife to make a deep cut right along the centre of one side of the fish, cutting right down to the bones. Then, keeping the knife close to the bones, work from the centre outwards to the fins and remove one fillet. Remove the second fillet in the same way. Then turn the fish over and repeat on the other side.
To remove the fillets from round fish, make a deep cut along the back of the fish to the bones. Carefully cut down one side of the fish, keeping the knife close to the bones. Repeat on the other side.
To remove skin from filleted fish, lay the fillet out flat on a board with the skin side down. Using a sharp knife, separate a little of the flesh from the skin at the tail end. Then, holding the skin firmly with one hand, cut the flesh away from the skin using a gentle sawing action from side to side across the skin, taking care not to cut right through the skin.
To bone a herring or mackerel, lay the cleaned fish out flat on a board with the skin side uppermost. Press gently but firmly right along the backbone. Turn the fish over and insert your thumb under the fine bones at one side of the backbone. Run your thumb along under the bones right up to the tail. Repeat on the other side, then lift the bones completely out of the flesh. Cut off at the tail end with scissors.
To remove the bones from trout and other fine-boned round fish, gently insert the point of a knife under the fine rib bones at the tail end, then carefully work the knife under the bones to free them from the flesh along both sides of the backbone. Then carefully cut around the backbone to free it from the fish, taking care not to cut through the skin. Cut the bones free at the tail and head ends with scissors.
