How to fillet a Pickerel. Step by Step. Living In the North Woods.

How to fillet a Pickerel. Step by Step

Step 1
Poke the tip of your fillet knife in just under the pelvic fin

Step 2
Cut up to the anal fin

Step 3
You can then push the fillet knife through to the soft dorsal fin

Step 4
Slice to the peduncle (not through)

Flip over and repeat Steps 1-4

Step 5
Cut on an angle from the back of its head,
the gill cover, pelvic fin and pectoral fin

Step 6
Tilt your blade along the spine and cut to the soft dorsal fin where you had cut into in Step 3, then cut through the peduncle

Flip over and repeat Steps 5 & 6.
You should now have 2 fillets with bones in and skin on.
Now on to the deboning.

Step 7
Place the fillet meat side down, pull up the back gently with your thumb putting pressure on the rest of the fillet with your fingers (you should be able to see the rib bones easily)

Step 8
Slice along the rib bones until they are out
( in this method keeping the skin on will prevent the knife from slipping out and cutting fingers)

Step 9
Flip over (meat side up) and make a small cut by the peduncle for a place to grip as you slice off the skin.

Step 10
To remove the line of prickly bones that run down the middle of the fillet cut along both sides of the bones (they begin about 5cm from the tail)

You should now have tasty de-boned fillets!

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