How To Clean A Flounder Like A Pro

You caught a flounder...

                                                   .......Now What?

            In my opinion one of the best eating fish in the ocean is a Flounder.  These fish are bottom dwellers that have two eyes on one side of its head.  Flounder look like a evolutionary mistake that was smashed when being designed.  With help from this article you will be prepared to filet and serve flounder if you are lucky enough to catch one.

WHAT DO YOU NEED????

Supplies- Flounder, Zip-lock bags, bendable filet knife (assists in removing skin), filet board or table, fresh water to clean hands.

FLOUNDER CLEANING: Step 1 

Ice the Flounder down.  Fish are much easier to filet when they have been cooled on ice for several hours.  Remove flounder from ice and place on cutting board.  Bend fish back to being straight if rigormortis has set in, it is easier to filet a fish when flat.

FLOUNDER CLEANING: Step 2 

Use your filet knife and make a straight cut along the lateral line of the fish from the gill plate to the tail.  Run your knife several time down the line in order to cut all the way to the back major spine bone that runs down the middle of the fish. 

FLOUNDER CLEANING: Step 3

Cut a half moon around the head of the fish from just above the eye, around the pectoral fin and gill plate, to the stomach of the fish.  This cut makes the end of the filet easy to peel back when working if off the bones. 

FLOUNDER CLEANING: Step 4

Slowly begin to work the filets away from the bones.  Start in the middle of the fish and make slow sliding cuts angled away from the spine.  Slowly work the filet away from the bones and use your finger to peel meat up while making cuts. You should start to see the filet take shape.  Once the filet is removed, cut the skin just below the dorsal fin and remove your top filet and cut the skin along the bottom side to remove your bottom filet.

Repeat steps 2-4 on the opposite side of the fish to remove all filets.

FLOUNDER CLEANING: Step 5

Lay each filet down tail side closest to you.  Cut down at the end of the filet to the skin, then turn the knife away from you and work the skin off the filet.  Slowly work your way down flexing the blade staying close to the skin.  Once the filet is off the skin check the filet for bones and remove them.  If done correctly there should be very few bones left.  Repeat with all 4 filets. 

elliottenvisions is not liable for any injuries from cleaning fish. Please be careful!!!!!!

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