Learn these basic steps before you sit down for your Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Last week, I launched my mission to get more people to cook and eat whole fish at home with a. I floated several theories about why a lot of home cooks continue to be intimidated by the idea, most having to do with the shopping and cooking parts of the process.
The good news is, it's incredibly easy to do, once you know the basic steps. To prove it, I've demonstrated the whole thing here with a spoon and a butter knife. I could have done it with two spoons—that's how little special equipment you need. Do it once or twice and it will quickly become second nature. Here's how.Set a fish* on a plate. One fillet will be on top, and the other will be on the underside, since fish can't easily be balanced on their bellies.
Now cut through the fillet, following the natural division that runs along the spine. You may have to guess a bit at first, since you can't see the division through the skin, but it's pretty easy to locate if you try to imagine where the spine should be. Once you find it, just follow the division until you've gone all the way from the tail to the head .
Now grab the tail, and lift it free of the fillets below. The bone cage should come up with it, leaving the bottom fillet behind.