Fish is a healthy product, rich in fatty acids and microelements. Pike is considered one of the most delicious river fish; a particularly good dish is made from the pike pulp, for example, cutlets, but cooking the fish takes a lot of time: it needs to be cleaned, gutted and cut up. And if the first two points usually do not pose any difficulties even for inexperienced housewives, then you need to be able to cut a pike correctly.
How to cut a pike
Pike dishes are very popular: it is not only a tasty and nutritious river fish, but also a healthy dietary food product with a large amount of proteins, fatty acids and other healing substances. To fry pike, it is not necessary to cut it completely, that is, separate all the bones from the pulp, but the taste of this dish is inferior to the taste of pike cutlets and other chopped fish dishes.
The first method of cutting pike
There are several ways to cut pike; each housewife or cook also has her own secrets of this labor-intensive process. First you need to wash the pike in cold water, removing mucus and debris, then clean off scales with a sharp knife. So that the scales do not fly apart different sides, you need to hold the fish at a slight angle.
You can place newspapers or a plastic bag under the board - this makes it easier to collect the scales later
Then the tail, dorsal and anal fins of the fish are cut off, while holding the knife against the direction of the scales. Then gut the pike - by piercing the skin near the head, run the knife all the way to the tail and pull out the entire contents of the belly from the resulting cut. You can save the milk or game to cook later. Now you can cut off the pelvic fins. Cut off the head and tail - they can be used to prepare other dishes. Now all that remains is to remove the skin from the fish; in pike it is elastic, dense, and comes off easily. Then, with a strong movement of the knife, cut the pike in half along the ridge, you will get a strip of fish flesh with a row of bones on the upper dorsal part. Using a knife at a sharp angle, cut off the part with the bones. There will be a few bones left on the pulp - large bones can be removed later, and small bones will be finely chopped when preparing minced meat and will not interfere. The second strip of fillet must be turned over with the ridge up and the ridge cut off.
The second method of cutting pike
Another method is much faster - you do not need to first gut the pike and separate the skin from it. Clean it and immediately start cutting along the ridge, as in the first method. When one strip of flesh is cut from the pike, the remaining part will contain not only the ridge, but also the entire contents - now all this needs to be separated from the pulp. All that remains is to separate the fillet from the skin, always from the tail side, while it is convenient to hold the skin with a fork.
Pike, like carp, is a freshwater fish. It is valued for its incredibly tasty meat. Some people refuse to prepare it due to the lack of skinning skills and do not know how to cut pike. It is especially important not to damage the entire roasting carcass. There are available and simple ways cutting freshwater fish, which does not require much time and effort.
Cleaning and cutting of pike carcass
Pike has rather dense and hard scales, which can be quite difficult to clean using the usual method. To avoid damaging the fish, it is important to know how to skin a pike. To remove scales from fish, you will need a sharp knife and a cutting area, which can be a deep sink.
After removing the scales, you need to wash the fish and dry it with paper towels. After this, you can begin to remove the insides. To begin this procedure, an incision is made starting from the bones behind the gills on the left side of the head to the spine. The incision should be made carefully so as not to damage the gallbladder. After this, an incision is made in a horizontal direction at the anus and the intestines are removed.
Only after this can the head be completely removed, especially carefully cutting it off near the gallbladder. The head is separated from the body along with the intestines. The carcass is cut along the belly, the films are removed and washed. In this state it is ready for filleting.
Method of cutting a carcass into fillets
A special sharp knife will help you fillet the carcass beautifully. It is applied to the ridge of the fish and drawn horizontally along it. The same action is carried out on the other side of the carcass. Divide the carcass into two halves. The backbone with leftover meat is usually used to make broth.
All that remains is to remove the skin from the fillet parts. In this case, inexperienced fishing enthusiasts often do not know how to remove the skin from a pike.
This can be done using the same knife. It is pressed very tightly to the skin and passed along the sirloin. There may be some meat left on the skin, which is quite natural.
Removing skin from fish using a stocking
There are several ways to remove skin from pike. You can find a lot of advice on this matter, including how to skin a pike with a stocking. For many, this method is the simplest and most convenient. This process is carried out in several stages:
![](https://i1.wp.com/ribalka.guru/wp-content/auploads/611335/snyat_shkuru_schuki_chulkom.jpg)
In some cases, it is necessary to cut up fish directly after catching it in the wild. In this case, you can clean it in a similar way and bake it entirely over a fire. To do this, coat the carcass with clay and place it on the coals.
Pike dishes
Fish dishes often become a decoration for the holiday table. You can prepare many delicious and original dishes from pike. One such recipe is stuffed pike.
The recipe for its preparation is quite simple and you can take the most affordable products: fish (2 pieces), onions (1 piece), carrots (1 piece), white bread, chicken egg (1 piece), spices to taste. The dish is prepared in several stages:
![](https://i1.wp.com/ribalka.guru/wp-content/auploads/611336/snyat_kozhu_ryby.jpg)
Bake the fish in a preheated oven at 180 degrees, about 40-50 minutes. To prevent the dish from falling apart before serving, you must leave the fish on the baking sheet to cool naturally.
Cutlets made from the meat of this fish can be no less tasty. They turn out unusually tender and tasty. Available products are used for cooking: pike fillet (500 grams), lard (100 grams), white bread (2-3 slices), milk (100 grams), onion (1 head), egg (1 piece).
Breadcrumbs are needed to coat the cutlets before frying. Spices are added to the minced meat according to taste and desire. For frying you need sunflower oil. Preparation takes place in several stages:
![](https://i0.wp.com/ribalka.guru/wp-content/auploads/611344/snyat_shkuru_schuki.jpg)
Place the finished cutlets on a preheated frying pan. Fry them for a few minutes until golden brown. For better steaming of the cutlets, you can cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes.
Compared to other inhabitants of reservoirs, pike is one of the most delicious freshwater fish. To decorate the holiday table, you can prepare a wide variety of pike dishes.
Attention, TODAY only!
Those who love fish cutlets should make them from pike. They turn out aromatic, spicy and tender. Your home cookbook should have a recipe for this dish. Many avoid this fish, believing that it is a little dry for minced meat, but in vain: when the right approach Your household will be delighted with such little balls.
How to cut pike into cutlets
For some, cutting pike into cutlets may seem like an overly complicated process, but this is not entirely true. To properly process minced fish, all you need is a handy wooden cutting board and a good, sharp knife. Before cutting, the fish must be defrosted, rinsed under cool running water, then dried a little so that it does not slip. Then follow the algorithm:
- Cut off the pelvic fin, taking a small section of the skin.
- Cut the belly of the fish and remove the giblets.
- Run a knife along the ridge to make it easier to divide it into two parts. One half of the carcass should come off easily without bones, the second half will only have to remove the backbone. Pike have large bones, there is nothing complicated here.
- Place the carcass bones down, press down lightly with your hand, and carefully cut off the backbone with a knife. Try not to cut the spine from the side bones. It is ideal if the ridge is cut with them, otherwise you will have to remove it separately.
- Separate the thin skin of the fish by lifting it with a knife. Your fish is ready to be processed and cooked.
The cutting may not always turn out perfectly the first time. All chefs started with mistakes: don't be discouraged by failures. You need to get good at it, and after 2-3 fish your skills will be honed to automaticity. In a similar way, you can cut not only pike, but also other sea or river products. True, some types have a lot of small bones, so you can get fillets with some effort.
How to make minced meat
After processing the carcass is completed, you can make fresh minced pike for cutlets. To do this, cut the fillet into convenient medium-sized pieces. Pass them through a meat grinder with a fine mince attachment. To make it really tender, keep in mind a few tips:
- The fish must be fresh: the ideal option is a chilled, but not frozen carcass.
- Add spices and vegetables to the minced meat last.
- Let the minced meat brew a little.
- Add 1 egg to make the mixture more sticky.
- If the minced meat turns out watery, add a little flour or starch.
Pike cutlet recipe
Looking for the most best recipe pike cutlets? Keep in mind that even without knowing how to cook, you can always make excellent fish balls that will quickly become your household’s favorite dish. If you don’t have all the necessary ingredients on hand, you can always replace them, because almost any vegetables, meat and even hard cheeses are suitable for such a dish.
Pike cutlets - recipe with photo
- Number of servings: 5-6 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 145-160 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: dinner, lunch.
- Cuisine: Russian.
Using this step-by-step recipe, you can prepare classic minced pike cutlets, which are perfect for a festive feast or an everyday dinner. Before making the meatballs, prepare the fillet. It can be freely frozen for future use, either in the form of minced meat or whole, for subsequent frying. This will speed up the process and save time, which housewives so lack.
Ingredients:
- fish fillet – 700 g;
- onion - 1 head;
- eggs – 1-2 pcs.;
- salt – ½ tbsp. spoons;
- breadcrumbs - 1 cup.
Cooking method:
- Scroll together the pre-cooked fillet and onion.
- Form small balls and roll them in breadcrumbs.
- Fry over high heat until done.
With lard
- Calorie content of the dish: 190-200 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for lunch.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
Juicy, flavorful pike cutlets with lard are the perfect combination of meat and fish in one dish. Thanks to lard, the fish dish will not be dry, and the seasoning will completely remove the specific taste and smell of the river predator pike. Freshly caught fish is best suited for cooking, as frozen fish is tougher and drier. If you don’t know any fishermen, you can buy chilled fillets.
Ingredients:
- pike fillet – 500 g;
- pork lard – 300 g;
- garlic – 3-5 cloves;
- eggs – 1-2 pcs.;
- salt – ½ tbsp. spoons;
- set of spices for fish – 1 package.
Cooking method:
- Scroll the fillet, garlic, and lard together.
- Add salt, spices (optional), eggs to the minced meat.
- Form into balls, roll and dip them in flour or breading.
- Fry over low heat until fully cooked.
In the oven
- Cooking time: 60 minutes
- Number of servings: 10 persons
- Calorie content of the dish: 180-190 kcal
- Purpose: for lunch
- Cuisine: Russian
- Cooking difficulty: medium
To make pike cutlets in the oven, you don’t need any special skills. This recipe option is suitable for busy housewives who have little time to cook. In addition, baked fish contains much fewer calories than fried fish. This is beneficial for those who watch their diet and follow the regime. These fish balls contain a lot of healthy carbohydrates and proteins.
Ingredients:
- pike fillet – 800 g;
- garlic – 4-5 cloves;
- crackers – 100 g;
- butter– 50 g;
- cheese – 100 g;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Make minced meat from fillet, breadcrumbs, and garlic.
- Cut the cheese into small cubes approximately 1x1 cm.
- Add spices and salt to the minced meat and form into cutlets.
- Place a piece of cheese and butter inside each one.
- Bake in the oven until golden brown.
Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
- Cooking time: 120 minutes.
- Number of servings: 10 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 100-120 kcal per 100 g.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
Yulia Vysotskaya is an actress and TV presenter, known throughout the country for her culinary masterpieces. In her blog, she talks about how to prepare the simplest dishes without them becoming boring. Particularly popular are Pike cutlets from Yulia Vysotskaya. Thanks to a thoughtful recipe, they turn out soft, tender, juicy. This dish is suitable not only for adults, but also for children: the main thing is to thoroughly remove all large bones and thoroughly chop the minced meat. You can use a blender for this.
Ingredients:
- pike fillet – 1.2 kg;
- potatoes – 2 pcs.;
- onion – 1 medium head;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- loaf or bread – 2-3 pieces;
- milk – 1 glass;
- semolina – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt, pepper - to taste
Cooking method:
- Prepare the minced meat by mincing the pike fillet, vegetables, and milk-squeezed bread through a meat grinder.
- Add spices, salt, semolina, egg to the mixture, mix the mass well.
- Place the minced meat in the refrigerator or on the balcony (in winter) for 1-1.5 hours.
- Form the balls into the desired shape
- Fry in vegetable oil over low heat.
With semolina
- Cooking time: 45-55 minutes.
- Number of servings: 4-5 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 120-155 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for dinner, for lunch.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
Juicy, crispy, tender pike cutlets with semolina are a delicious treat for children and adults. Due to the ability of this familiar grain to swell quickly, the dish turns out to be very fluffy and appetizing. Semolina gives the minced meat a viscous consistency, which makes it much easier to form neat balls or cutlets of any size and shape. You can even bake them in muffin tins if you wish.
Ingredients:
- pike – 1 medium fish;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- dill – ½ bunch;
- semolina – 60 g;
- olives – 100 g;
- black pepper, salt - to taste;
- vegetable oil – 30 g.
Cooking method:
- Cut the fish, twist it into minced meat along with the onion.
- Add spices, semolina, salt, egg, chopped dill.
- Form into balls, sprinkle olive slices on top, press them lightly, roll in flour and breading.
- Fry over high heat until a crust appears, then cover with a lid and reduce heat. Let it steam for 5-7 minutes.
For a couple
- Cooking time: 40-45 minutes.
- Number of servings: 5-7 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 90-110 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for lunch, for dinner.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
Another option for those on a diet is steamed pike cutlets. Due to this method of preparation, they are completely free of harmful fats that are used for frying. In addition, there is a steamer in almost every home, and due to the autonomous operation of the device, you do not need to constantly be at the stove. This way you save time, which you can spend on physical activity or other useful things.
Ingredients:
- fish fillet – 600 g;
- onion – 1 head;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Prepare minced fish from fillet, onions, carrots.
- Add egg, spices, salt to it.
- Form cutlets and place them on the steamer rack.
- Cook on the fish setting for 30 minutes.
With pork
- Cooking time: 60 minutes.
- Number of servings: 3 persons.
- Purpose: for lunch.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
To make the dish juicy and tender, you can prepare pike cutlets with pork. This meat can add fat and give aromatic juice, so the meatballs can be served with a side dish without special gravy. It will slightly muffle the taste of the fish, which means this recipe for pike fish cutlets is suitable even for those who don’t like river species in the diet and avoids them.
Ingredients:
- fish fillet – 400 g;
- fatty pork – 500 g;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- bread without crust - 2 slices;
- milk – 150 ml;
- parsley, salt, pepper - to taste;
- onion – 1 pc.
Cooking method:
- Prepare minced fish, pork, onions and herbs.
- Soak the bread in milk, squeeze, add to the mixture.
- Place the egg, spices and salt into the minced meat.
- Form round cutlets, fry over high heat or bake in the oven.
With cottage cheese
- Cooking time: 40 minutes.
- Number of servings: 10 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 140-150 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for dinner.
- Cuisine: Russian.
Pike cutlets with cottage cheese are considered an original dish. However, this combination of products may seem unusual only at first glance. In fact, cottage cheese will only emphasize the delicate taste of the fish and give it softness. If you wish, you can add cheese or processed cheese to the minced meat, this will make your cutlets even juicier and more flavorful. The main thing is that the cottage cheese is not low-fat, large (grainy).
Ingredients:
- pike fillet – 300-400 g;
- homemade cottage cheese – 200 g;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 3 cloves
- butter – 100 g;
- wheat flour – 50 g;
- rolled oats – 50 g.
Cooking method:
- Chop the pike fillet into small cubes, finely chop the onion, mix them.
- Add cottage cheese and spices to taste.
- Form the resulting minced meat into balls and press a small piece of butter into the center.
- Roll in a mixture of flour and rolled oats.
- Fry finely grated garlic cloves in vegetable oil, this will make the dish more flavorful. Then fry in this oil until crispy golden brown and sprinkle with herbs.
From pike and zander
- Cooking time: 60 minutes.
- Number of servings: 10 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 120-160 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for lunch, for dinner.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: medium.
For those who have often been unimpressed with the taste or smell of predatory fish, the following recipe is perfect. Cutlets from pike perch and pike do not have the specific taste that is characteristic of minced meat from pure pond fish. In addition, pike perch is softer and more tender, and in combination these two types make it possible to prepare very tasty and nutritious cutlets, meatballs or pies. The best option is baking in the oven, so there will be less harmful oil in the dish.
Ingredients:
- pike fillet – 300 g;
- pike perch fillet – 400 g;
- flour – 1 tbsp. l.;
- bread – ¼ loaf;
- milk or cream - ½ cup;
- onions– 100-150 g;
- eggs – 1-2 pcs.;
- lemon – ½ fruit;
- salt, pepper, herbs to taste.
Cooking method:
- Twist the fish pulp, soaked bread and onion, add a little butter (optional).
- Add salt, spices, chopped herbs, eggs to the minced meat. Beat everything thoroughly with a blender or whisk.
- Form small cutlets, roll them in flour, place on a baking sheet. Place thin slices of lemon on top.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Dietary
- Cooking time: 40-50 minutes.
- Number of servings: 6 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 80-100 kcal per 100 g.
- Purpose: for lunch, for dinner.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
For those watching their figure, it is important that the dishes are not only tasty, but also low in calories. Diet pike cutlets are easy to prepare at home. This is an ideal option for a hearty lunch or late dinner. How to make any cutlets less calorie? Add zucchini and carrots to the minced meat, serve with vegetable sauce and light side dishes. This way you will get not only a healthy, but also a satisfying lunch.
Ingredients:
- fish fillet – 700 g;
- oat flour – 50 g;
- zucchini – 100 g;
- milk – 20 g;
- egg – 1-2 pcs.;
- carrots – 1 pc.;
- onion – 1 head;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Twist the fish, zucchini, carrots and onions (it will taste better if you fry it without oil).
- Clean the meat grinder by passing bread soaked in milk through it.
- Add spices, egg and oatmeal.
- Place the finished minced meat on a baking sheet into small flat cakes and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
To get truly delicious pike cutlets, you need to know some of the subtleties and features of this type of fish:
- Pike contains almost no fat, which is why many housewives consider the minced meat made from it to be rather dry. To make the cutlets juicier and fattier, you can add lard, lard or another type of fattier fish to the minced meat.
- Special mixtures of seasonings, which are presented in a large assortment on store shelves, will help get rid of the specific smell of pike.
- Minced pike is a perishable product, so you should not freeze it before cooking. It is not recommended to defrost minced meat more than once.
- How simpler recipe, the tastier the dish turns out, so don’t chase complex options with a lot of ingredients.
- Be careful with spices and seasonings with strong flavors. They should not interrupt the taste of the main product.
- To make the cutlets juicier, you can add full-fat milk or cream, carrots, and butter to the minced meat.
- Breading will help preserve the flavorful juice.
- One of Lazerson’s principles says that up to 30% of bread soaked in milk is acceptable in minced meat. More will make the cutlets too dry and anything less will be tough.
- To make your dish denser, add only the yolk to the minced meat.
- The consistency of the minced meat and the taste of the finished meatballs depend on the amount of onion.
- Mashed raw potatoes will help make minced fish juicier, and it is suitable not only for pike, but also for any other fish.
- The dish is best served with vegetable side dishes and sweet and sour sauce.
Video
Have you decided to cook dietary fish cutlets or treat your family to a delicacy? fish dish with spicy sauce? Then we invite you to pay attention to the predator pike and tell you how to clean the pike from scales and separate the fillet from the skeleton. In fact, such a skill is acquired from the very first experience, but you need to know the little secrets that we will tell you about.
Pike is a freshwater predator; its meat is almost devoid of fat (only up to 2%), but very rich in proteins. Pike meat contains substances that are powerful antiseptics, therefore, to increase the body's resistance to various infections, it is recommended to consume pike meat as often as possible. To attract such a wonderful and extremely healthy product to your family’s menu, you will need to know exactly how to clean pike, efficiently and quickly.
Unprocessed pike has two completely surmountable disadvantages: it has a lot of bones and it has a strong smell of mud. It is these shortcomings that make this product not the most popular among home cooks. But these are completely surmountable disadvantages - they can easily be turned into advantages!
Basic rules for cutting pike
Rule I
Be careful with the fish's mouth! This predator has very sharp teeth and they grow in several rows deep into the mouth. You can hurt your fingers very easily!
Rule II
Before cleaning the fish from scales, it must be rinsed very thoroughly to remove mucus and dirt under running water. Next, blot away the moisture.
Rule III
Before cleaning your pike, take care of the facilities. When cutting fish, there should be enough space so that you can lay it out on the board and have room to move your hands.
The cutting board should not move on the table, it should be stable on the countertop, so place paper towels lightly moistened with water under it. Or, to be safe, moisten a linen towel with water and place it under the board.
Rule IV
The knife must be very sharp, with a wide blade and a comfortable handle, otherwise it will be difficult to properly separate the fillet.
To clean the carcass from scales, we use a special scraper or a wide, sharp knife. We grab the tail with one hand, and with the other hand with a knife we begin to separate the scales with frequent prying movements against the direction of its growth.
With this method, the scales will not scatter throughout the kitchen, but will remain on the knife blade. Please note that the scales of pike are small; hold the knife slightly at an angle so that the scales bounce off onto the blade.
We place the fish on its back with its head facing us, fix the head on the board and use a knife to pry up the fins in the middle part of the belly and cut them off in the direction of the head.
Next, with the tip of a knife, we rip open the abdomen in different directions from the middle fins, open the insides and clean them out. If the pike has caviar, then take it out. This is a real delicacy! When ripping open a pike's belly, hold the knife not parallel to the tabletop, but slightly at an angle, so as not to disturb the film on the calf.
Having cleaned the fish of scales and separated the insides, we wash it, wipe off the moisture and begin cutting it up. Before cutting, we also wash the board from scales and wipe off any moisture.
How to clean pike and separate fillets from bones
In fact, it is very easy to separate the fillet, even with the excessive bonyness of this predator. The main thing is a sharp, wide knife with a thin blade. Such knives are always present in every housewife's kitchen set.
- To securely hold the pike head, we cut the intergill bone and grab the head by the gills with our left hand. Place the fish on its left side and make a vertical cut just below the small fin under the gills.
- Carefully cut to the ridge and stop pressing as soon as we feel a crunch. This means that we have reached the ridge and must stop, otherwise we can break it.
- Turn the pike with its back to you and make a shallow cut along the back. You will feel freedom of movement as there is minimal boneing on the back.
- Next, place your left (or right, if you are left-handed) palm on the fish, lightly press it against the board and insert the knife into the cut under the gills. We place the knife blade parallel to the board and begin to cut the fillet, moving the knife in the direction of the tail, along the ridge.
- Raise the blade of the knife slightly, otherwise it may go into the ridge and then the fillet will have bones. By pressing the palm we control the direction of the blade - for high-quality work. Having separated the fillet on one side, we do the same procedure on the other side.
- Cut the head and backbone with a thin layer of remaining meat into pieces and reserve for a delicious fish soup. Either we cook it immediately after cutting or freeze it in the freezer, knowing that any day you can use the head with the ridge for fish soup without labor-intensive preparatory work.
- We are working on the sirloin part. You should know that it is very difficult to completely get rid of small bones in pike. Even in fashionable European restaurants, pike fillets can contain small bones, although the chefs there certainly know how to clean pike, right? When eating pike dishes, you must be careful not to choke on them.
- Place one of the loin parts separated from the backbone on the board. We cut off the fin and begin to separate the ribs. We insert a knife blade between the film with the ribs and the pulp on the belly and, prying the film with the blade, separate it along with the ribs. We point the blade of the knife upward, moving it from the back to the stomach. We do the same with the film of the second fillet.
- Now we need to separate the fillet from the skin. This is a familiar procedure that we often repeat with other types of fish. With two fingers, grab half the fish by the tail, insert the knife blade between the skin and the meat and begin to cut the fillet so that the knife blade is slightly directed downward (at an angle to the board) - this makes it easier to remove the fillet cleanly and without loss.
To avoid losing the direction of the blade, cut the meat across the grain into several pieces, but without cutting the skin. Run your finger over all the pieces you have separated from the skin. Pull out the largest bones with tweezers or small pliers. This will not take much time, and when eating a dish from predatory fish There is no need to fear a traumatic event for the pharynx.
Well then! The fillet is beautifully stacked on a flat plate. If it still has a muddy smell, getting rid of it is as easy as shelling pears by simply sprinkling them with lemon or lime juice.
Now that you have seen how to clean a pike and how easy it is to separate the fillet from the backbone and skin, dishes made from the dietary meat of this predator will appear on your menu more often, and over time you will become a true master of pike delicacies - you just have to say: “By pike command, according to my desire..."
How to cut a pike? - This is a frequently asked question of interest to fish lovers. After all, the predator that lives in fresh water bodies is quite bony, has sharp teeth, and therefore it is quite easy to get injured by it. And information on how to properly cut a pike will allow you to do the not-so-pleasant job safely, efficiently, and with minimal time.
Despite the difficulties that can be encountered when working with this fish, it is very popular in preparing culinary masterpieces. And the question of how to fillet pike without skin is being asked more and more often by beginners and experienced cooks.
Predator meat is healthy (contains microelements necessary for the human body) and tasty. By preparing it correctly, the dish can be given juiciness, tenderness, and a unique taste.
Preparation
Before moving on to discussing how to clean and cut up pike, you need to prepare the appropriate equipment. Thanks to which the process will go faster and more efficiently. Don’t forget that cleaning fish means you can get dirty and get injured, so you need to have on hand:
- Apron.
- Gloves.
- Grater.
- Culinary (cosmetic) tongs
Fish cutting process
Knowing how to fillet a pike without bones, you can feed your family or friends with a variety of fish delicacies. They are suitable for everyday menus and will decorate a holiday table. In what order should you disassemble freshly caught fish?
- Before cutting the pike into fillets, we clean it of scales. We use a knife and grater. We move from the tail to the head.
- We cut off the fins and head.
- Let's gut the fish. We make an incision in the abdomen, remove the insides, and wash it well.
- Getting rid of the ridge. We open the belly of the carcass, make an incision along the spine, cut off the ridge along with the cartilage. We carry out the process carefully, do not rush, so as not to damage the meat.
- Using tweezers, remove large and, if possible, small bones from two parts of the carcass.
- The fillet is ready. If necessary, remove the skin. Place the loin skin side down, use a knife to pry it up in the tail area, lightly press it with your hand, and cut through to the end. We try to make the cut as close to the skin as possible.
Knowing how to quickly fillet a pike, for short time will be able to cook delicious dish. The sirloin can be baked, fried, served with sauce, or chopped into cutlets. Potatoes and fresh baked vegetables are suitable as a side dish. And in order to clearly see how to properly fillet a pike, the video posted below will be very useful.