: : Warning! GORY : :
Proceed with caution! Gory pictures ahead. If you have no stomach for blood and internal organs, please do not proceed any further. Today, we’re going to look at how to cut up a fish.
Uncle Cyril came home at around lunchtime after spending the whole night fishing out at sea. Came back with 3 big Ruby Red Snappers. Looks beautiful, no? It weighs about 3-5 kilos each which is pretty hefty. Well, thought it was time I learnt how to cut a fish properly. Surprise that Wena doesn’t know how to? Well, better late than never. So, this is how Granny did it.
One thing’s for sure, after all that cutting up, I’m glad we did it outside. All three of us got sprayed with sticky water and occasion droplets of blood here and there.
First of all, one needs this handy tool : a descaling device. Looks very wicked and if one is not careful, the spikes can do serious damage to one’s hand. However, it’s extremely useful to remove the scales of a big fish faster than using a knife.
Some of the smaller fishes that Uncle Cyril caught. The top two are called banana fish. Don’t ask me why because I seriously have no idea. I think he mentioned that the bottom one was a sardine.
Anyway, here is the scaling device in action. The huge spray of fish scale just went everywhere. Looks like flakes of ice shavings flying around, if you ask me.
Next, remove all the fins from the fish, especially the ones on the top and bottom of the fish. Be very careful when you do so because most likely, there will be quite a lot of sharp pointed ends on it. Use the cleaver to spread them out and then give it a good whack to chop it off! Also, cut off the tail.
After that, it’s time to remove the head. Make a diagonal slide and start cutting it away. At this point, it’s good to note that one must have an extremely sharp cleaver to do is and also be prepared to whack the fish really hard with it. The bone is quite thick so it’s going to be hard to remove. Although the bone is not as tough as chicken bones.
With the head removed, it is now much easier to remove the internal organs. Be very careful when doing this as not to burst the green sac which is the gall bladder. If you do, the contents from the bladder will make the flesh of the fish very bitter. Believe me, you do not want the fish to taste terrible. After that, the fish was divited up into 2 parts to be frozen. Granny usually cuts the fish into smaller pieces once she’s ready to cook them.
Now, we also cut up the fish head to make assam fish head curry. The head is sliced into have and the gills must be removed.
Granny : Must remove this part (gills) wor! All the germs there!
Uncle Cyril : Ya! Even at the restaurants they remove it.
Granny : Humph! I don’t think so! I see it still there lah!
The rest of the catch. Smaller fishes and the spotted one is a tasty grouper. Not the greasy version but one that can be steamed with no problems. I prefer the grouper to be fried rather than steam because the flesh tends to be hard.
Anyway, we double bagged the fish and squeeze them into the freezer. There was enoough fish to last us for at least a month!
This is the reason why I have a healthy respect for fishmongers and butchers. Imagine having to do this every day for hours!