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Has anybody ever tried to skin a spanish mackerel BEFORE filleting it? Just wondering if it was possible to skin the smaller ones like a catfish to save more meat. Left skin on the 10 we caught last Saturday, but I normally prefer skinless, boneless.
Pier#r showed me how to fillet Spanish a few years ago the first time I was down there and now I skin every one...just cut behind the gill, top and bottom, then pull hard with pliers
I only skin the really big ones, rest get cooked with skin on.
I've watched Leroy skin them like catfish. I always cut the skin off mine as I'm de-boning them and cutting out the red streak, cutting flesh loose from the skin from the center outwards.
I use an electric knife and first cut down the backbone from the gills laying the blade right on the backbone leaving the last of the skin attached at the tail then flip the fillet and lay the blade just between the meat and the skin and run it down the length of the fillet Skin comes off perfectly with no meat attached and you have a perfect fillet No meat wasted Quick too
I don't have much of a problem with the larger spanish. When trying to cut the skin off the fillet on the small ones seems I always wind up cutting through the skin. Trying to go back and cut skin left on is a pain. Next time I am going to bring some pliers and try pulling the skin off first. Always trying to learn something new! Thanks!
Tuck
if you get a chance watch Mr. Haywire....I started doing it the way he does it after watching him....it sure eased the pain in the rear end removing the skin for me.....stress free now
I'll be glad to demonstrate, Tuck. It saves a lot of aggravation, and is useful for other fish besides Spanish. I probably won't be out until tomorrow afternoon---rehab and the toothist.
You will need a narrow, flexible fillet knife like a 6" Rapala. You can borrow one of mine if you promise not to cut yourself. My knives hate getting human blood on them.
The secret is in the way the muscles attach to the skin---when you try to cut from either end, the muscles guide the knife into the skin, thus, cutting through it. When you cut from the lateral line sideways, the influence of the muscular attachment is nullified and you can cut the skin right off, leaving the pin bones and the red lateral line meat attached to the skin for disposal.
Skinned many a catfish with needle nose pliers, without ever opening or seeing the abdominal cavity. Is this not the same for Spanish? I hate to admit it, but I cannot get it in my head what a "cut from the lateral line sideways" looks like. I think I may be a spatial spastic; I will try to find a youtube video. My sweet and lovely cannot force herself to eat fish if it has bones, and Spanish are on the bucket list this year. T-minus 60 hrs. till launch, and I think I'll practice some knots.
Bodebum---You place your knife just to the right of the lateral line (flesh side) and cut toward the dorsal or anal fin, depending on which direction you are holding the fillet.
Or, if you are holding the fillet so that it is lengthwise away from you, you will be cutting the meat to the side, depending on whether you are right or left handed. You get two long strips of meat per side, leaving the red stuff in the middle.
Excellent! I get it now. Thank you for helping me, I appreciate it so much.
I new there had to be a better way! Thanks Haywire! It will probably be a couple of weeks before I get back to the pier. I have a Cutco filet knife that is fairly flexible, so I will give your method a try if I catch any spanish.
Did I get it correct in this drawing? The red is the lateral line/bloodline, orange line is the path of the knife, viewed in cross-section from the head-end of the fillet. The butt of the knife would be facing our, with the blade away, running the length of the fillet.
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=4270&stc=1
Tuck, thank you for this thread! I was indeed frustrated when I cleaned my first catch a few weeks back. You guys were gracious enough then to teach me how to catch those Spanish guys now I'm learning how to skin the buggers. :D