A fish fillet, from the French word () meaning a ''thread'' or ''strip'', is the flesh of a

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

which has been cut or sliced away from the bone by cutting lengthwise along one side of the fish parallel to the backbone. In preparation for filleting, any

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

on the fish should be removed. The contents of the stomach also need careful detaching from the fillet. Because fish fillets do not contain the larger bones running along the vertebrae, they are often said to be "boneless". However, some species, such as the common carp, have smaller intramuscular bones called ''pins'' within the fillet. The skin present on one side may or may not be stripped from the fillet. Butterfly fillets can be produced by cutting the fillets on each side in such a way that they are held together by the flesh and skin of the belly.Fin Fish
Purdue University. Accessed 18 March 2011. Fish fillets can be contrasted with fish steaks (also known as fish cutlets), which are cut perpendicular to the spine and include the larger bones. __TOC__

Filleting

Fish fillets comprise the flesh of the fish, which is the skeletal muscles and fat as opposed to the bones and organs. Fillets are usually obtained by slicing the fish parallel to the spine, rather than perpendicular to the spine as is the case with

steak A steak is a cut of meat sliced across muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally Grilling, grilled or Pan frying, fried, and can be diced or cooked in sauce. Steaks are most commonly cut from cattle (beefsteak), but can also ...

s. The remaining bones with the attached flesh is called the "frame", and is often used to make fish

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

. As opposed to whole fish or fish steaks, fillets do not contain the fish's backbone; they yield less flesh, but are easier to eat. Thursday, April 23, 2020 Special cut fillets are taken from solid large blocks; these include a "natural" cut fillet, wedge, rhombus or tail shape. Fillets may be skinless or have skin on; pinbones may or may not be removed.Glossary
''About Seafood''. Retrieved 15 April 2012. A ''fletch'' is a large boneless fillet of halibut,

swordfish The swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as the broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are the sole member of the Family (biology), family Xiphiidae. They ...

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

. There are several ways to cut a fish fillet: * Cutlet: obtained by slicing from behind the head of the fish, round the belly and tapering towards the tail. The fish is then turned and the process repeated on the other side to produce a double fillet * Single: more complex than the cutlet, produces two separate fillets, one from each side of the fish. * "J" Cut: produced in the same way as a single fillet but the pin bones are removed by cutting a "J" shape from the fillet File:Le Fileteur de poisson.jpg, Filleting fish in the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

File:Filleting-01.jpg, Filleting a fish, demonstration File:Fish on the Quay, Aberaeron - geograph.org.uk - 1625065.jpg, Fishmonger filleting a

pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic ocean, marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the Unit ...

File:Hake fillet.jpg, Filleting hake on a production line File:Zabars fish.jpg, Another filleting production line File:Oroshi hocho knives.jpg, Knives used to fillet

at the Tsukiji fish market

Marketing

File:Halibut and salmon fillets.jpg, Halibut fillet (a whitefish) on top of a salmon fillet (a

pelagic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs. ...

) File:HK Westwood Wellcome Shop packaged iced Seafood for Hot pot 鯇魚片 Grass Carp April-2012.jpg, Packed and iced fillets of grass carp File:Perche du nil filets artlibre jnl.jpg, Filleted

Nile perch The Nile perch (''Lates niloticus''), also known as the African snook, Goliath perch, African barramundi, Goliath barramundi, Giant lates or the Victoria perch, is a species of freshwater fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is wides ...

at a fishmarket

Eating

File:Pan-fried Red Snapper Fillet.jpg, Pan-fried red snapper fillet File:Baked fillet with asparagous.JPG, Baked fillet with asparagus File:Anchoas salazón-España.jpg, Anchovies filleted in oil File:doryfill.JPG, Fillet of John Dory

Notes

References

* Green, Aliza (2010
''The Fishmonger's Apprentice: The Expert's Guide to Selecting, Preparing, and Cooking a World of Seafood, Taught by the Masters''
Quarry Books. . * Murray J and Burt JR (1983

''Torry Advisory Note 38'', FAO,

Filleting

Marketing

Eating

See also

Notes

References

External links