How To Fillet Flounder (To Maximize The Size Of The Fillets)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Filleting Fish, Fish Recipes, Fishing Tips, Flounder, Weekly Newsletter: 5-17-20
What’s your favorite inshore fish to eat?
Mine is flounder.
They’re delicious, but since they’re thin and shaped differently than other fish, many people struggle with cleaning them.
In this video, I’m going to show you how to fillet flounder to maximize the meat you get from them, as well as a little trick to make sure the meat is as fresh as possible.
Check it out below.
How To Fillet Flounder [VIDEO]
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If you clean a flounder like any other fish, you’ll be missing out on a lot of meat.
But if you fillet them the way I’m about to show you, you’ll get the most meat out of them as possible.
The key here is to cut two fillets on each side.
By sliding the knife along the rib bones both above and below the backbone, you’ll maximize the meat you get from it.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
Step 1: Cut around the gills towards the top of the head.
Step 2: Cut down the center of the fish over the backbone.
You’ll start where you made the first cut around the gills and end at the tail.
There should be a faint line on the fish that you can follow.
Note: on the white side of the flounder, the center line will be more pronounced.
Step 3: Cut the top fillet off by starting at the center line and sliding the knife along the ribs.
Step 4: Skin the fillet.
The key to skinning fish fillets without losing meat is to keep the knife handle off of the edge of the table so the blade can slide parallel to the table right above the skin.
Step 5: Put the fillet in saltwater with ice.
This will keep it as fresh as possible while you’re filleting the rest of the fish and getting ready to cook it.
Step 6: Repeat with the rest of the sides.
Conclusion
If you want to get the most out of your flounder, make sure to cut it into four fillets, as opposed to two like you would with most other species.
To keep the meat fresh, soak it in ice-cold saltwater until you cook it.
Have any questions about filleting flounder?
Or do you have another method that you prefer?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who needs to learn how to fillet flounder, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
founder has scales on 1 side
Don’t forget the cheek meat!
I learned a long time ago, that the easiest way to clean any fish is to Google Capt Vince Russo. I’ve been cleaning fish my entire life the traditional way (filet knife) until I discovered this genius. He completely changed the way I clean fish now. I will never go back to the “old” way. If allowed, here’s the way he fillets a flounder (in mere seconds). If not allowed to post an outside link, my apologies, and please remove it. Otherwise, you’re welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_NAt0EHIxo
Hi Joe,
what knife are you using in this video
That was a knife from Bubba Blade.
Thank you for this video. I have caught flounder before and turned them loose because I didn’t know how to clean them.
☆ I can catch em, no good at fileting em, thanks!
Hey Luke, caught a flounder this AM for the first time since I was a kid. I checked out your video, used the technique, and it worked great. Before starting, I sharpened my Dexter, reminded by your need to do the same for your knife in your video! Will check out the cooking technique video next.
Most ridiculously fast method yet to fillet a flounder!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTt4BtGN3Q
I don’t cut off the “ribbons”, they are delicious. You need a SHARP knife though…
after cleaning the fish, what do you do with the remains?
I always throw the carcasses back into the water so that it goes to a good cause (small fish, crabs, etc. will make good use of it).
Why use iced salt water versus just regular ice water?
The salt drops the water temp and help preserve the meat better.