Good for your heart, that’s what the fleshy tasty Salmon is. I like to use the Salmon in a number of dishes and find it an absolutely satisfying experience to cook it. Earlier on in my culinary journey I would very curiously and in awe watch the man at the local market cut the salmon. He would cut the fish just as I desired. Just watching the man at work was a true delight. The ease with which he ran his knife between the spine and flesh of the salmon and came out with a huge fleshy fillet was a sight in itself. I would definitely call this my inspiration to trying “How to fillet a Salmon” and yes, now can proudly say that I can do it quite well. This according to me is an art in itself. Here is how you can fillet a Salmon easily and right at home:

1) You need a sharp really sharp knife to fillet a Salmon, there is just no compromising on this.

2) Take the Salmon, wash and pat dry. Make a long slit on the stomach side of the salmon and clean up the interiors first. Wash again thoroughly and here you are all ready to get started.

3) Place the Salmon on the cutting board and make a deep cut behind the gills. Now get the knife right in from the slit and start right from here down to the tail keeping the spine of the Salmon as your mark to doing it just right. The knife should pass between the spine and the flesh (the knife should touch the spine however, not cutting it). Just slide through the flesh cutting it sharply and separating from the main bone or the spine.

4) You may or may not take off the skin. If you wish to take off the skin of the salmon make a small cut near the tail and slide the knife in between the skin and the flesh right from the tail to the other end of the fillet. Pull the skin so that you have the skin in your hand when the knife has reached the other end of the fillet.

5) You would be able to get 2 fillets from a fish and so repeating the process by turning over the fish would get you the second fillet.

6) Salmon has got small pin bones or needle like thin bones. They are all in a line and so you can feel them by running your fingers across the fillet. Run your fingers across the fillet to locate the pin bones. Use a tweezer to pull out these bones. Just hold the bone with the tweezer and one pull is all that is needed to get the bone out. It is better to get all the bones out or else it would actually spoil the fun of enjoying your fillet.

Once you know how to fillet a salmon you can grill, bake or even pan fry it as a whole or cut it into pieces and enjoy.