Step 1: Start with a 2kg fish or bigger, such as this saddle-tail snapper.
When is a fish fillet not your average, run-of-the-mill fish fillet? When it’s a belly fillet, says STEVE BAIN.
Once fish get to about 2kg, or more, this seldom seen ‘cut’ from the fillet becomes ideal as a boneless ‘strip’.
Often this cut is referred to as the ‘belly strip’ or ‘belly fillet’. Two of these strips are ideal as a portion-controlled ‘serving size’ fish dinner.
The strip starts below the rib bones and its removal is thought by many to maximise the meat usage and make the remaining main fillet easier to process around the rib bones — especially if you desire boneless fillets.
The belly strip cut is a simple process.
Step 2: In this case using the blade of a knife, scale the fish.
Step 3: Insert the tip of your knife into the vent to commence ‘gutting’ the fish.
Step 4: With the stomach contents removed, you are ready to start filleting the belly strip.
Step 5: Cut from the vent a little way behind the vent towards the tail.
Step 6: Insert the knife point below the ribs and up above the region of the pectoral fin.
Step 7: Now cut below the ribs all the way back to the cut that you made behind the vent.
Step 8: Cut completely through the ‘tail’ end of the belly strip.
Step 9: Now cut the belly strip away from the ‘wings’ (you may recall that we processed the wings in last month's edition of Small Farms). To start cutting the belly strip away from the head of the fish, first cut up to the throat latch.
Step 10: Another angle of the belly strip.
Step 11: Then cut down ‘behind’ the pectoral fin to completely remove the belly strip. You now have a boneless piece of tasty fish.
Step 12: The finished belly strips, one from each of the two sides of the fish.
