A while back some one asked me to post step by step instructions on the fishNphysician method of filleting a salmon/steelhead. Wish I had a fresh springer to demonstrate with, but a vacuum-frozen Kenai River sockeye from last summer will have to do (yeah, planked sockeye for dinner tonight!) This method works for a fish in the round (ungutted) or one that has been cleaned. The demo is on a 9# sockeye minus head and guts:

1) Make a long deep cut down the lateral line right down to the spine, then several cross cuts, depending on the size of the fish.


2) Start on the tail end, and begin removing fillets by sweeping your knife from the spine toward either the belly or the back. Keep your knife on the bones and turn the piece as you go.


3) Keep going in similar fashion, removing each piece while working your way toward the head end of the fish.




4) Flip it over and do it all over again.



5) You should end up with a featherweight carcass that is nearly transparent, except for the meat between the first 10-12 ribs which are sort of flattened. It is impossible to salvage this meat with a fillet knife alone.... gotta cook up the carcass and pick it out with chop sticks.




6) Here's the finished product. As you can see, there is VERY little waste with this method. Some guys may not like the fact that you don't end up with one intact fillet per side, but honestly, who can eat an entire fillet all by himself... especially when you are cutting something as big as a 50# king? This method gives you nice generous dinner-sized portions to satisfy the largest of appetites.

Give it a try! You'll be surprised at how easy and reproducible this method can be.

That seems to work pretty slick...what exactly are the advantages of doing it that way?

Thats a nice looking job, is that fish partially frozen?

I find it easier to fillet when they are like that.

thanks

Very interesting technique! I'll have to try it if I can catch another salmon sometime this year. It looks especially usefull for very large fish. Thanks.

Doc,
I guess med school did pay off!!! Nice fillets, must take a pretty steady hand. I'm going to give that a try also!!!
Winterun.

Nice pics. Never seen it done that way, but it looks super easy...and practically no meat wastage either.

Nice job on the STS article as well.

I'm now thoroughly convinced that I don't need to try so hard to come away with 2 nice whole filets and end up wasting a lot of meat. I've always wondered why I don't just do the lateral line cut rather than failing at the butterfly technique.

I will be trying that.

That's cool! Doc.
I'm gonna try your technique next time.

Catcher, the demo fish had been frozen but was thawed out for the demo. It was further transformed into an alder-planked treat....MMM! MMM!







As FishMonger pointed out, the main advantage of doing it this way is to minimize wastage of hard earned meat! He is also correct in suggesting how exceptionally well it works on big fish, where the wastage factor can become HUGE. Here are some pic's of the technique being used on ungutted kings that I previously posted on an older thread about filleting big fish:

BEFORE:


AFTER:






And here's another one:
JUST GETTING STARTED:

I'm sold on giving it a try. Looks easy enough. Oh one more thing concerning that 2nd pic in your second post. Where did you find such a small picnic table?

Hey FNP, you're hired, I will be expecting you at the restaurant to work this Easter weekend. LOL. Then you can take over for me when I leave on my little excursion North next week!

Nice Job.

Steve

Nice Work FNP! Thanks for the idea.

The fillet method is cool and everything... but the real issue here is you made me hungry as hell when I saw those bright red hunks of Sockeye... You could have called... I would have come over.

FNP

Now you've made me pull some filets out of the freezer! Whats the recipe?

Gut or un gut. Does it make a difference? Great pics and idea! Thanks

What kinda recipe did you use on those pieces? looks dammmnnnn goooood

Pretty cool!! But what am I going to use for crab bait if all the meat is off the carcass?

Great pics and thank for info that going to help alot when I smoke same fish.

You know a doctor has got to be good with a knife .... My brother is a surgeon and I can't even believe we are related. Just the thought of cutting into a person gives me a super serious case of the "HEEBEE JEEBEES" ... Oh yeah I can't fillet a fish for beans

imo, it's always easier to filet a salmon when it's been gutted.

for saltwater fishing it's easy because i have a chest cooler filled with ice... so the first chance i get i gut and gil the salmon (bled them right away) and pack the bellys with ice. cold fish filet easier than soft mushy fish.

it's easier with gutted fish because once you are past the rib bones the filets are free... and you don't lose any of that wonderful belly meat.