How to clean fish?

The most unpleasant process of cooking is cleaning the fish from scales. It is for this reason that many housewives refuse to cook bait dishes, and male fishermen more like the fishing process itself than cleaning fish. Although today a lot of devices and methods have been invented, the question of how to clean the fish so that the scales do not fly around the kitchen is still relevant.

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Why do we need scales and why is it on fish?

In the usual form for us, scales appeared on bait fish about 50 million years ago, and before that, all bait fish were covered with a powerful shell. Sturgeons, for example, still have chains of bone spikes as a reminder of their ancient origin.

In the course of evolution, it became clear that the scales are still more effective than the carapace, because thanks to it, live bait has become much more plastic and active. Over time, a layer of mucus began to stand out on the scales, which increased the speed of movement of the fish at times. The same layer of mucus protects them from various predators and bacteria.

Important! Not all live bait species have scales: flounder, mackerel, catfish do not have it at all, therefore this fish does not need to be cleaned from scales. The most powerful carapace is in zander, perch, crucian carp and common carp. The scales of live bait grows according to this principle: from the old, the upper, the lower, young grows. The scales can even determine the age of the caught fish.

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How to clean fish from scales - the general rules?

We offer you some tips to help you easily clean fish from scales:

1. The first rule that we recommend to observe is to clean the bait fish right after the catch. The best option is directly at the pond. The whole catch must be cleaned immediately, and then taken home and put away for storage or cook.
2. Just before cleaning, in order not to get hurt, cut off all the fins except the tail.
3. The cleaning knife should be of high quality, since a bad knife is rugged hands.
4. After cleaning the live bait, it is necessary to gut and cut off the head.

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Cleaning Methods

You can remove the scales from fish in different ways, and all of them will be correct. Therefore, focus on personal preferences and the concept of convenience to find the best way to quickly clean fish from scales.

Under the water

Bait fish with weak scales, such as roach, is difficult to clean, since all scales fly around the kitchen. Therefore, we recommend that you draw a little water in the sink or basin, and clean such a fish under water - in this case, the scales will not fly apart.

Using a grater

We recommend cleaning bait fish with hard scales using a standard kitchen grater (preferably four-sided). Start rubbing the fish from tail to head. The carapace will descend easily and will hardly scatter.

Scald with boiling water

Such live bait species as pike, perch, pike perch, etc. are easily cleaned of scales if boiled with boiling water. To do this, bring the water in the container to a boil and dip the fish in it. The end time depends on the freshness of the bait fish, as well as on its type, and can range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. After the scalding procedure, remove the live bait and under a stream of running water, remove all the husk.

Important! Do not overexpose the small fish under boiling water, otherwise the scales will leave together with the top layer of fish meat.

Pre-salting fish before cleaning

Some types of live bait fish, for example, perch, for quick cleaning, we recommend lightly salt in the evening and leave it cool in the morning. After this salting, the perch is much easier to clean.

Freezing fish before cleaning

It is much easier to process live bait and clean it from the shell, if you freeze it in the freezer overnight. Pull out the fish one hour before cleaning and place it in the sink. After another hour, you can clean the live bait. The husk will thaw during this time, but the fish will still be frozen.

Using fixtures

Today, special knives and graters for cleaning fish are on sale, as well as special boards with a clip on one end. The principle of operation of the device is as follows: the bait tail is clamped in a clamp, and the fish is on a cutting board. Using a special knife or grater, you can very quickly clean fresh fish from scales.

The simplest fish scaler can be done with your own hands:

1. Nail a piece of tin to a wooden block.
2. Punch holes in tins with sharp notches.

Important! You can make a grater from a can, if you make several holes at the bottom. Another option is to nail 2-3 beer caps to the plank.

Helpful hints:

• The hardest thing to clean is a ruff or perch. We recommend trimming the spiky fins before the procedure, and then placing the fish in cold water for several minutes. With a fork and knife, make grooves against the growth of scales, this will simplify your work.
• Any fish can be easily cleaned if a stick is inserted into its mouth until it stops.
• Pin the tail with an awl to the board where the fish will be cleaned. Holding your fingers by the eyes, stretch the bait to the “crunch”. The cleaning process will be much more efficient.
• Clean the fish with a large knife. The larger the knife, the easier it is to remove the flakes.
• When cleaning marine fish, incise the skin behind your head and peel along with the husk.
• To clean the fish, use a separate special cutting board. Do not forget about the smell of fish, which is firmly eaten on cutting boards. Therefore, we recommend putting a newspaper folded several times on it or a packet. This method will save you not only from the unpleasant smell of the board, but also allow you to quickly remove the workplace.
• Small fish can be cleaned of scales easily if you pour them with salt and rub them in your hands. After the cleaning procedure, rinse the bait fish under a strong stream of running water.
• There are cases when the remaining husk only improves the taste of the dish. For example, boiled unpeeled small fish retains more nutrients. Do the same with fish, which will be steamed or stewed. During such heat treatment, the fish in the scales does not lose its aroma. In this case, clean it immediately before serving: remove the husk with the skin.

Important! You can not clean the perch from scales if it is boiled or smoked. For frying, it is better to remove the husk with the skin.

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How to clean big fish - instructions:

1. Make a special chopping board.
2. Cover it with a bag or newspaper folded several times.
3. Rinse the fish under a stream of cold water, clean it of mucus and debris.
4. Put the fish on the board and holding the head with your left hand, scrape the scales with a sharp knife, starting from the tail.

Important! Keep the knife at a slight angle so that the scales do not scatter in all directions.

5. Carefully cut the tail fin.
6. Cut the dorsal fin (against the scales) while holding the end of the fin with your thumb.
7. Pierce the skin near the head with a knife and make an incision to the anus. Cut the belly from head to tail.
8. Lift the upper half of the fish and clean out all contents (using a spoon or knife).
9. Tear off the white film that runs along the ridge of the fish. Remove all the bloody mass beneath it.
10. Scrape off the red-brown film from the walls of the abdomen.
11. Cut off the head of the fish.

Important! If you want to leave your head, then you need to clean the gills, remove their insides so that the fish does not bitter.

12. Cut 2 abdominal fins.
13. Rinse the fish under running cold water.
14. Cut it into pieces.
15. Put all the guts and fish waste in a plastic bag and throw it in the bin.

Important! Some housewives do this: gut the fish, cook, and only then remove the scales along with bones and skin. Clean fillet left for the dish.

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Stock footage

We hope that with the help of our tips and tricks you can easily prepare a delicious dish from any fish, and cleaning it from the scales will not take you much time and effort. Bon Appetit!