Filleting Pike

[limeyangler]

This post was inspired by richyb's Pike post. I know a lot of you probably already know this, but pike is really good eating...but i i always here that people think it's too boney, soooooooooo.....i just thought i'd put this video here cuz it helped me to fillet pike....in fact its also usefull for trout(lakers) and whitefish too, which have similar anatomies to pike.

 

I did a search on here and realise vids have been posted on this topic before...but it was a while ago.

 

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That electric filleting knife looks great for slabbing whiteies and trout out on the ice, i wonder if there is a battery operated version...would save alot of time and frostbite if it works at -40 celcius....lol.

[BITEME]

JUST WATCH TJ DO IT FOR AN HOUR THE MAN IS A PRO

[goodtimer]

thanks for posting this...going to be cooking fish on my own for the first time. will most likely be pike. watched ppl clean lots of fish but never done it on my own. doesn't look like it's that difficult.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Thanks for the vid. May keep a few small pike this year!

[bbog]

Pike are certainly one of my favorites but gotta get better at filleting them

 

Cajun Fish Crisp!!

[jwl]

 

the 5 fillet method works great for getting the most out of a pike..you get 5 virtually boneless fillets out of it, just some smaller bones to be removed before cooking

[richyb]

Hey thanks for posting that video .... I get a kick out of lake trout and white fish guys saying that pike have too many bones when really they are about the same and I think pike taste better ...

[tdotfisherman]

I fried up some Northern Pike fillets for lunch today, It was great.. I love the taste of Pike.. There are quite a few videos on youtube about how to cut the Y-Bones out if people need a reference..

[taper]

Limeyangler Rapala makes a rechargeable version of the electric fillet knife. It comes with two different length sets of blades two batteries charger all in a blow molded plastic case. It's not cheap but It works fantastic. I used it for the week last year up in Timmins and loved it.

[MoriaRiverMan]

Man i could live off the river hear if i ate pike........

 

Nice to see how to clean them.........maybe ill fry one up this weekend.

[Beats]

I clean pike the same way the guy in the video above does. Ive tried the 5 fillet method as well, and it works, but I prefer to have just 2 pieces of fish and then cut them up accordingly at the time of cooking. I never understand why some people insist that to clean fish of any type the first things to do is cut the head off and split the belly and take the guts out. When I clean fish, and I am by no means fantastic at it, I never take the heads off and I never take the guts out. In fact it is very rare that there is ever any blood whatsoever since I don't touch the insides at all. Mind you I really only clean perch and pike and the very odd trout.

[limeyangler]

glad the vid was usefull, and Taper....thanks for the tip about the Rapala knife....might need to invest for next winter o the ice.

[Rybren]

My wife always said that she didn't like pike - she thought that walleye was the best tasting fish. A couple of weeks ago I caught a few eyes and a 14lb pike (makes boneless filleting easy). I cleaned them up an cooked them identically. During dinner I asked her which was better - the pike or the eye (she didn't know which was which on her plate). She picked the pike!

 

IMHO, if filleted just right (ie. no bones) pike can be just as good as an eye. Of course, if you don't get all of the bones out, they can be a real pain. Luckily, the bones don't affect the taste.

[blowes]

thanks for the great video. it was a great refresher it has been some time since I have cleaned a pike

[oxcowboy]

with my slow dial up i cant see the video, but i think i know the way that they are showing. i have also done a method where you scale the pike, then cut off the 2 fillets, take out the rib cage and then make a series of cuts about 1/16 inch apart down to the skin, but not through the skin. then just cut into portion size pieces and batter and fry skin side up. all the bones will disolve in the hot oil. it works amazingly well especially for small pike with small bones. has anyone else ever tried it this way, what your take on doing it like that?

 

jason

[Reef Runner]

I learned the 5 fillet method years ago from a lodge owner out of Kipawa, Quebec. JWL has a nice pic of it.

 

Another tip:

 

The "pike" taste of the flesh is the result of toxins released into meat during periods high stress. If your gonna keep a fish, knock it out and immediately sever the nerve endings coming from the brain to the body. The incision should enter from the base of the gill plates to the top of the back of the head.

 

Don't believe me, try it yourself. Betcha the pike culled by the above-method will taste better than the one hanging off the stringer all day.

 

Bon appetite,

 

reefrunner