Simple tips for cleaning fish

Cleaning and preparing a fish can be fast and uncomplicated when you know a few tricks.

Let's explore the two big chores involved in fish cleaning: gutting and scaling. If you grab this task by the tail, you'll have dinner ready in no time.

Don't let the title of this section intimidate you. Removing the innards from a fish isn't as messy or traumatic as it sounds.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Thoroughly rinse the fish to remove any protective slime, and pat it dry with a clean cloth.
2. Place the fish on its side with the belly facing you. Purchasing a cutting board with a fish clamp to hold slippery fish in place can be helpful.
3. Take a look at the stomach of the fish, locating the small fins near the tail. These are the anal fins.
4. Insert a sharp knife in front of the anal fins (on the stomach, not the tail side), and make a straight, horizontal cut that continues into the gill region. It may help to turn the fish 90 degrees, keeping the blade facing away from you.
5. This incision will expose the central cavity, allowing you to remove the internal organs. On a small fish, this cavity can often be accomplished with a snip and a sharp tug near the head area. On a larger fish, it will require freeing the organs by cutting away the visible connective tissues holding them in place.
6. Once the internal organs have been removed and discarded, cut away the gills and remove the head completely.
7. Inspect the empty cavity, wiping away any bits of remaining viscera with a soft brush.
8. Rinse the fish again thoroughly, inside and out, and pat it dry with a clean cloth.

Scaling a fish is as much an art as it is a technique. It's easy to miss spots, especially where a fish's body narrows at the tail and sometimes at the head as well.

Dislodged scales can travel quite a distance, too, so, performing this task in a deep sink or even outdoors makes a lot of sense.

1. Rinse and wipe the fish thoroughly.
2. Use a clean towel to grab the fish by the tail.
3. Scrape the back of a butter knife or other blunt tool along the fish's skin in a repetitive sliding, flicking motion. The scales will flake off as you work.
4. Removing the scales from the centre of the fish to the head on each side, and then from the tail toward the centre, is a good way to organize the task into manageable quadrants.
5. Rinse the knife periodically to remove any clinging scales.
6. Rub your hand along the fish from the tail to the head, feeling for and removing any remaining scales.
7. Pat the fish dry with a clean cloth and refrigerate it for up to 72 hours.

With these simple tips, cleaning and preparing your freshly caught fish will be no problem at all.

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