category: kitchen preparation

Splitting round fish

For some dishes it is necessary to split fish. The fish should be ready for preparation before you start.

Lay the gutted and scaled fish flat on your workbench. Open the abdominal cavity and point a serrated knife with a pointed tip to the beginning of the spine. Pierce the spine close to the head until the tip of the knife protrudes from the back of the fish. Now use a sawing motion to cut through the spine towards the tail. The spine is used to guide the knife. If possible cut the tail fin in a way that lets both sides be recognised as such. Now place the fish upright on its mouth and split the head with a cleaver. Place the head on a towel or kitchen paper so that it cannot slip.