How to Clean a Fish before Cooking ?

How to Clean a Fish

Cleaning a fish is easy. In this section we will give you basic information and simple steps on how to clean and store your catch as well as how to clean the fish before cooking.

How to Clean a Fish before Cooking ?

For the best meal possible, start by treating the fish as soon as it arrives. If you want to eat your catch, you need to keep it fresh, before you even start cleaning your fish. Keep caught fish in a live well, cooler, or silt in the water. And always fill your cooler or live well with the same water you are fishing in.
If you are not eating your catch, carefully take them down - while they are still in the water - and release them using good capture and release practices.

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How to clean a fish: steps
If you plan to cook your whole fish or want the steak, rather than filleting it, you need to learn how to gut a fish.

1. To begin, rest the fish on the table or cutting board. Insert the knife tip into the fish's belly near the anal opening and move the blade up along the belly, cutting to the head.
2. Keep the knife blade shallow so you don't puncture the intestines.
3. Spread the body open and remove all of the entrails, locate the fish's anus and cut this out in a "V" or notch shape.
4. Some fish have a kidney by the backbone. Remove it by scraping it out with a spoon or your thumbnail.
5. Rinse the cavity out with a good stream of water and wash the skin. Some fish have a dark tissue lining the abdominal cavity that can be scraped off to prevent a strong, oily flavor.
6. Remove the head if you like, trout are often cooked with the head on.
7. Clean your fish-cleaning table immediately, collect the guts, heads, and scales, and discard them properly.
8. Your clean fish is now ready to be cooked.

How to Clean A Fish: Tips and Warnings

Research the area where you fish to determine if the fish are safe to eat, some water bodies are polluted with mercury and other heavy metals that the fish absorb. Always check the regulations of your state before going fishing.

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Now that you have a clean fish or have prepared your steaks or fillets, you can store your fish or cook your fish!
Also discover our favorite cooking methods and recipes.

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1. Fish fins can be very sharp and cause serious bite injuries, so be very careful when learning how to empty a fish, fillet a fish, or clean a whole fish.
2. Some fish are too bony or flavored to be considered edible.
3. Some fish have very sharp teeth, so be careful if you hold a fish by the head while cleaning your fish.

Learn how fillet a fish step by step, how to store fish and more in our next section.