electric fillet knifes???

[Fish Farmer]

Right on Chris! Plus your not draging the poop ( Guts ) through the meat

[Spiel]

Right on Chris! Plus your not draging the poop ( Guts ) through the meat

 

 

....Sheesh I hadn't even thought of that Farmer. Good point!

[solopaddler]

Have a Rapala electric but it never gets used.

Only good for a huge mess of panfish, otherwise I've got no use for it.

I'm faster and waste less meat when I do it the old fashioned way.

Edited December 11, 2007 by solopaddler

[Dabluz]

Electric knives are gimmicks. You never see a butcher use them. I have been filleting fish since I was a little kid. I much prefer using my old Rapalas that I keep razor sharp and I even remove the extra tiny bones from the walleye fillets. There is not only the rib cage that has bones on trout and walleye. There are tiny bones that stick out at about 90 degrees from the vertebrae. They are very evident on large salmon. Most chefs pull those very small bones with large tweezers after the fillet has been cut off the fish.

 

Most of the work I do is with the tip of my fillet knife. I feel for the bones with the tip so most of my fillet work is with a very short fillet knife. The only time a long fillet knife is used is when I remove the skin from a very large fillet.

 

My filleting technique is quite unique. I do not start on the back of the fish. I start out by gutting the fish (I do not want the fish's innards contaminating my filets), removing the lower fins and cutting off the head with a stout knife. My first 2 cuts with the fillet knife are from each side of the anus in order to leave the anal fin attached to the vertebrae.

 

I then slip the point of the fillet knife from one of those 2 cuts and push the blade until it exits the dorsal part of the fish. The knife is angled towards the dorsal fin. I can feel the tip of the blade bump up against the vertebrae when it is travelling towards the dorsal part of the fish. When the tip of the blade extends past the back, I just cut back towards the tail. I do this on the other side of the fish.

 

Now with the fish on it's back (actually it's on it's side but I want to stress that I start at the underside of the fish), I slip the point of the knife under the rib cage. I can see the blade of the knife through the rib cage as the tip of the knife is moving towards the head of the fish. I disengage the rib cage from the fillet.

 

Now, I use the fillet knife on the dorsal part of the fish by continuing the dorsal cut through the skin on either side of the dorsal fin all the way to the head. Then it is a simple procedure to cut down to the short bones that stick out 90 degrees from the vertebrae, slip the knife over the bones and back towards the vertebrae and to where the rib cage is attached to the vertebrae. I now have 2 complete fillets and absolutely no meat on the carcass of the fish. I hate to waste any meat.

 

An electric knife would not allow me such finesse. I guess an electric knife would be great at just cutting off the head of the fish. But, most of my filleting is done before I leave my fishing spot to go home or at my campsite. I would have to buy a generator...lol.

 

I then remove the cheeks on the walleyes and pike. I don't think an electric knife can accomplish this job.

 

Anybody who has to buy an electric knife is mostly due to the fact that he doesn't keep his knives sharp enough.

 

The 6 inch blade on my large 40 year old Rapala filleting knife is now too narrow from so much sharpening. This has changed the angle of the cutting edge and is now difficult to sharpen with my sharpening stones. I will have to take it to a butcher shop to make the blade thinner on their belt sharpener.

 

There are much better fillet knives than the Rapala and they cost about the same or just a bit more, depending on the quality. Next year, I will put that on my Christmas list.

Edited December 11, 2007 by Dabluz

[misfish]

Thats a great post.

Thank you for sharing.

[Terry]

Electric knives are gimmicks...I disagree

 

like you said, you have been doing it for years..so sure it's a piece of cake..for you

 

for those that only cut up fish a couple of times a year an electric knife makes the job much easier, quicker

 

they may be a crutch, but not a gimmick

[irishfield]

I grew up in a butcher shop... I've still rolled over and use an electric carving knife for Turkey/Chicken and roasts ! Haven't tried one on fish YET.

Edited December 11, 2007 by irishfield

[misfish]

Thier a gimmick.

[Terry]

yeah but you guys from the island are born with a fillet knife in one had and a rod in the other

[irishfield]

Protectin themselves at the brothel eh !

[misfish]

yeah but you guys from the island are born with a fillet knife in one had and a rod in the other

 

Now you know why the wimen are so tough.

[drwxr]

special at lebaron

 

gimmick or no, you have to know how to use it

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bcWyGrV0qao

[Mike the Pike]

Well I don't mind cleaning the bigger fish like Walleye but I am too tired of cleaning a wack fo perch .So I hinted to my parents what I want the Rapala Deluxe set half price this week at Canadian tire.If I don't like it I can always carve the turkey with it.