Fish fillet

Elongated cut of fish

A fish fillet, from the French word filet (pronounced [filɛ]) meaning a thread or strip,^[1] is the flesh of a fish 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 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.^[2]

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.

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 steaks. The remaining bones with the attached flesh is called the "frame", and is often used to make fish stock. 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.^[3]

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.^[4] A fletch is a large boneless fillet of halibut, swordfish or tuna.^[4]

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

Filleting fish in the Ivory Coast
Filleting a fish, demonstration
Fishmonger filleting a pollock
Filleting hake on a production line
Another filleting production line
Knives used to fillet tuna at the Tsukiji fish market

Marketing

Halibut fillet (a whitefish) on top of a salmon fillet (a pelagic fish)
Packed and iced fillets of grass carp
Filleted Nile perch at a fishmarket

Eating

Pan-fried red snapper fillet
Baked fillet with asparagus
Anchovies filleted in oil
Fillet of John Dory

Notes

^ Fillet Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
^ Fin Fish Archived 2020-02-25 at the Wayback Machine Purdue University. Accessed 18 March 2011.
^ "Salmon Fillet Knives". Thursday, April 23, 2020
^ ^a ^b Glossary Archived 2013-10-27 at the Wayback Machine About Seafood. Retrieved 15 April 2012.

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. ISBN 9781592536535.
Murray J and Burt JR (1983) The Composition of Fish Archived 2014-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Torry Advisory Note 38, FAO,