Do I Need To Gut The Flounder. How To Clean A Flounder

Do I need to gut the flounder. How to clean a flounder - the sequence and stages of cutting

For tender meat and high nutritional value, flounder is often called "sea chicken". But only if you know how to peel flounder, you can count on getting a gastronomic pleasure from eating fish. To learn how to properly prepare a product for heat treatment, you will have to familiarize yourself with the features of its defrosting, soaking, cutting and cleaning. These manipulations are mandatory before frying, boiling and stewing fish. Do not rely on the skin and fins to be carefully removed from the finished product. This approach will only spoil the initially high-quality and useful product.

Features of defrosting sea fish

Many housewives make mistakes already at the stage of defrosting the product. Depending on whether the whole carcass is used or only its fillet, you need to proceed as follows:

• A whole flounder. In cold water, dilute a little salt (about a teaspoon per liter of liquid), dip the fish into it. We are waiting for the complete defrosting of the product, this can take from 1.5 to 3 hours. During this time, you can change the water to fresh water several times, remembering to add salt. Some housewives use warm water to defrost and clean the food faster. This should not be done, because even a slightly warm liquid can negatively affect the protein structure.

Tip: Before you start cleaning a chilled product, you should soak it in milk for literally a quarter of an hour. This will get rid of the specific smell of algae that often comes from sea fish.

• A piece of fillet. First, grease the product with fine salt, then wrap it with cling film and put it in a container with cold water. We keep it as long as necessary, changing the water if necessary. Sprinkle the component with salt again and do not need to wrap it with foil again.

Only by adhering to the listed rules will it be possible to preserve the main amount of minerals and other chemical elements for which this sea fish is so famous. If you resort to traditional methods of processing a piece, it can become practically useless and tasteless.

Procedure for cleaning the product

The process of cleaning the component does not have to spend a lot of time and effort, if you do everything correctly, taking into account the sequence of manipulations.

• We thoroughly rinse the thawed or chilled product under cool running water, getting rid of dirt, sand, traces of algae.
• Some types of flounder have dense scales on the surface of their skin, which must be removed in the traditional way, using a suitable knife or special tool. These types of fish have a very delicate skin, which becomes edible and very tasty after heat treatment.
• The skin should be removed from the flounder without scales. after frying or boiling, it becomes very tough. There is no need to peel a very small flounder; the skin is usually chewed without problems.
• To remove the skin, you need to do the following. We remove the tail and fins from the carcass, they will interfere. Next, we make a longitudinal incision on the back of the fish on one side, catch the edges of the skin and remove it in one motion, like a stocking.
• The last step is to remove the head of the fish. This sequence of actions will prevent spoilage of the product and facilitate the process. This is due to the fact that the digestive organs of this animal are not on the belly, but directly under the gills. If, during the manipulation, the contents of this bladder are damaged, it is hardly possible to wash off the bitter taste of bile from meat. For high-quality and quick removal of everything unnecessary, a V-shaped corner cutout should be made right under the head. Do not spare the fillet, it is better to grab a little more product than necessary.

Now you need to complete the procedure correctly. We wash the flounder carcass again under running water, add salt and put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Ideally, it is recommended not just to salt the component before heat treatment, but to marinate it. This will completely get rid of unnecessary odors and tastes. Now it remains to rinse the blanks again and you can use them as intended.

How to peel a flounder to get fillets?

Many recipes require not only peeling the fish, but extracting fillets from it. This is very easy to do. It all starts with the removal of the fins, tail and skin (if necessary). Next, we make a V-shaped incision in the head area, from which we make a vertical incision along the entire length of the back of the carcass.

In the head part of the fillet, we pry it with a knife and begin to move downward, separating the product from the base. The second half of the product is processed in the same way. At the end, the head is cut out, the spinal bone is removed, the rest of the component is cut off.

It's even easier to get fillets from small flounder carcasses, which also need to be peeled before roasting whole. Here, first of all, we cut off the head, after which we cut the element along the ridge line into two parts. Extract the bones from the halves obtained, cut off the fins and parts of the tail. We thoroughly wash the resulting fillet in a thin skin, add salt, pickle if desired and cook according to the recipe.

If during the processing of the product its insides were damaged, the blanks should be soaked, pickled, and during processing, various aromatic herbs and spices should be used. But even this does not guarantee complete disposal of the specific aroma and bitter aftertaste.

Flounder is sometimes called "sea chicken" because of its dietary meat, which contains a lot of nutrients and has a delicate texture and pleasant taste. This product has practically no contraindications, saturates the body with omega-3 fatty acids, strengthens blood vessels, removes free radicals from the body, lowers cholesterol and is an aphrodisiac. For all its merits, this fish is rarely seen on tables due to the fact that many housewives do not know how to clean the flounder correctly.

Preparation and storage of fish

Of course, it is best to cook the flounder immediately after catching it. But in our reality, this fish reaches the consumer frozen, so you need to know how to prepare it for frying.

Before cleaning the flounder before frying, it must be defrosted according to all the rules at home. This will keep the fish in the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for health. Fish can be thawed in two ways:

• in fridge;
• in salt water.

The most natural way is to defrost the carcass in the refrigerator. This method is suitable for housewives who are in no hurry. Flounder in a plastic bag is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and wait until it thaws completely. The process can take 10-12 hours.

If the dish needs to be prepared as soon as possible, then there is another way. The frozen fish carcass is placed in a large bowl, cold water is poured and salt is added in the proportion of 1 teaspoon per kilogram of fish weight. In this case, you cannot use hot water, as it will make the fish meat flabby and tasteless.

After thawing, the fish is washed in running water, removing salt and dirt residues.

Cleaning flounder from scales

Answering the question whether it is necessary to clean the flounder before frying, it is worth saying that this process is necessary. Different types of fish can be with or without scales. In the first case, you need to get rid of the scales. To do this, you need to follow a certain technology:

If the scales are dry and cannot be processed, the fish should be left in cold water for a while. After that, cleaning will be much faster.

On the Internet, you can find many detailed videos on how to clean the flounder from the scales.

How to cleanse your skin properly

You need to remove the skin from the fish without scales, since it is too elastic, thick and after cooking it gives the dishes a nasty aftertaste.

Skin peeling process:

Cutting and gutting

The head of the flounder is removed last, since the organs of this fish are located not in the lower part of the body, but immediately under the gills. If you cut the product inaccurately, you can damage the gallbladder, which will negatively affect the taste of the future dish.

In order to separate the head, a V-shaped incision is made on both sides of the fish, after which the head is carefully removed along with the entrails. This should be done in one quick motion.

Cutting the flounder for frying is completed by thoroughly rinsing the carcass under running water. Then sprinkle the fish with fine salt and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.

To get rid of the pungent fishy smell, there is another proven method. The chopped flounder can be soaked in milk for 25 minutes. After that, the unpleasant aroma will disappear, and the meat will become much more tender.

Filletting

If the hostess decides to fry the flounder fillet, you must first prepare the fish. To understand how to gut flounder on fillets, you need to study the whole process:

Butchering flounder

Real gourmets have a lot of respect for the flounder, which is called sea chicken for a reason. This fish has very tender and juicy meat, rich in iodine and all kinds of vitamins. Therefore, flounder can rightfully be classified as a dietary product. True, experts say that if a few hours after the fish is caught from the sea, it is not cooked, that you can forget about its excellent taste. For this reason, it is best to buy flounder not frozen, but fresh. True, in this case, you will have to cut it yourself, which requires certain skills and dexterity.

We clean the flounder

First, the flounder must be rinsed under running cold water, removing the remnants of sand and algae from the surface of the body. Depending on the variety, the flounder can be with or without scales. In the first case, using a sharp knife, it must be carefully removed, while not removing the skin from the fish, which is quite soft and completely edible. In those flounder species that do not have scales, the skin is usually quite tough and not edible. It must be carefully removed before cooking the fish. The exception is small flounder, with a soft skin, which can be fried without additional cleaning.

For, to carefully and correctly remove the skin without damaging the meat, you should make a small incision on one side along the back of the fish, then pick up the edges of the skin and remove them, like a stocking. It is best to remove the tail and fins in advance so that they do not interfere with brushing.

The head is removed from the body of the flounder last. Moreover, for this, a V-shaped incision should be made on both sides, and then carefully remove the head along with the gills and entrails. The thing is that the digestive organs of the flounder are not in the lower part of the body, but in the upper part, immediately behind the gills. This, on the one hand, makes it easier to clean the fish, since there is no need to open its belly, and on the other hand, it creates additional problems. The thing is that the insides of the flounder must be removed carefully, otherwise it is very likely that, due to the bile, the taste of the finished food will be very specific. With a touch of bitterness and seaweed. To avoid this, the intestines must be removed whole, in one step. If you immediately cut off the head, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to clean the flounder with high quality after that.

After the skin is removed from the fish, and the insides and fins are removed, the carcass must be thoroughly rinsed again under cold running water, then salt and leave in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Then the fish is rinsed again and only after that is it subjected to heat treatment. Pre-salting of flounder is necessary in order to minimize unpleasant odor and taste., which is typical for some varieties of marine fish. After such treatment, it will almost completely disappear.

Small flounder carcasses are not skinned and are usually fried whole. However, they are cut in a different way. In this case, the head is immediately completely separated from the body, and then the carcass is cut in half with a sharp knife along the ridge. After this procedure, the entrails and bones are carefully removed, and the resulting sirloin parts are thoroughly washed with running water, salted, then washed again and fried or baked in the oven. True, it should be borne in mind that in this case, it is necessary to salt the flounder a little longer, about an hour. You can also remove the unpleasant smell and taste, which will certainly be present due to bile, with the help of warm milk, in which flounder fillets should be kept for 15-20 minutes.

Question: " How to clean a flounder properly?"- asked himself more than one person. And all due to the fact that the structure of the body of this fish is slightly different from the structure of its relatives. Flounder is a special type of marine fish that is unmistakably recognizable due to the fact that its eyes are located only on one side of the body. Cleaning such fish correctly is not an easy task. In this article, we'll show you how to clean it.

Flounder not subject to long-term storage, it is desirable to eat it immediately after purchase. But if you still want to keep the fish longer, then this can be done using a freezer: flounder can be stored in it for no more than 4 months.

Flounder is one of those types of fish that contains a rather low amount of calories: there are only 83 calories per 100 grams of product. Dishes from such a fish are perfect for dietary nutrition, and all fats are very easily absorbed by the body.

This fish can cause harm only if a person is allergic to fish. In addition, you need to be careful with the use of this product for those who are susceptible to kidney disease, liver disease, and also suffer from stomach ulcers.

How to clean fish properly?

Before cleaning the flounder, it must be properly defrosted if it has been frozen. Many neglect this advice, and subsequently the taste of the finished fish leaves much to be desired. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to fill the frozen fish with cold water with the addition of salt and let it brew for several hours. During this time, the flounder will successfully thaw out and will not lose its taste at all, and it will also be easier to clean.

Now let's move on directly to cleaning. To get rid of the entrails, you need to put the fish with dark scales up, carefully cut off the head, and then make an incision on the belly along the entire body of the flounder. Use a knife to get rid of the entrails, paying special attention to the black film, if any. Then grab the skin with your fingers and slowly peel it off, being careful not to damage the meat. After that, you should thoroughly rinse the flounder, and then clean it of bones, if necessary.

Also don't forget to get rid of fins flounder. This should also be done carefully and slowly, so as not to accidentally damage the meat. Be careful, the fins can be difficult to remove. You can cut them out with a knife if you're worried about ruining the carcass.

After all this, your fish will be prepared for further manipulations. In this way, it is very good to clean the flounder for frying, only in this case it is not necessary to pull out the bones. If you want to get flounder fillets, then you will have to tinker a lot to get rid of all the bones that are in the fish. In fact, cleaning the flounder is not at all difficult, the main thing is to know the sequence of actions.

Everyone has heard about the benefits of flounder, but few like to cook it. And this is due to the fact that the preparatory stage of processing seems terrible, because this flat fish needs to be cleaned and then cut. Let's deal with all the intricacies of handling this sea fish.

Product value

Flounder is a fish with a flattened body, eyes on one side, brighter upper part of the body facing up. She has the ability to mimic, has earned the recognition of gourmets, affectionately calling her "sea chicken". Even those who have tasted flounder only once, note the unique and delicate taste of white meat. The fillet of flounder contains about 20% of the daily value of proteins necessary for a person. Moreover, the amino acids in this fish are balanced so that they are easily absorbed, that is, they are even suitable for a dietary menu.

Flounder meat contains only 3% fat, is low in calories (about 83 kcal), rich in vitamins A, E and B.

By eating flounder, we get not only vitamins, but also microelements:

• phosphorus (strengthens teeth, skeleton, hair and nails);
• iodine (normalizes metabolism);
• fatty acids (cancer prevention).

How to properly defrost fish

You will not need any special devices for cleaning the flounder - except for a sharp knife, an iron sponge for washing dishes (the latter is for cleaning small fish). But you need to take into account some of the nuances. It is better to cook fresh fish, as over time it loses its useful properties. But if a fishing trip for fresh flounder is not your case, then you can get by with a freshly frozen carcass. And in this case, it is important to defrost the fish, since you cannot clean and gut frozen fish.

If an already cut and peeled carcass was frozen, then it must be thawed at room temperature.

There are 2 options to bring the sea chicken "on alert":

• the natural way - suitable if you do not need to rush anywhere: put the fish in a bag and put it on the lower shelf in the refrigerator until it is completely defrosted;
• accelerated method: put the fish carcass in a bowl of salted water (1 tsp. table salt per 1 kg of flounder weight).

Do not try to speed up the defrosting process with hot water: it has a destructive effect on protein and other nutrients in fish.

The thawed carcass must be washed with cold water, sand and salt crystals, mucus, and algae residues must be removed.

When to clean the flounder and how to do it

Usually the fish is cleaned from scales industrially, immediately after catching. However, there are exceptions (especially if this is your catch). In this case, the scales can be removed with a knife or a scraper-washcloth, but most often they simply remove the skin from the flounder. This is the fastest way to clean fish.

Depending on the species (stellate, royal, tiger and others) flounder can be with or without scales. In the first case, she has rather soft skin. In the second, it is tough, and contains more iodine, which can give the finished dish an unpleasant aftertaste. Therefore, it is better to remove the skin for cooking.

How to properly remove skin and scales and remove fins

1. To remove the head, we make 2 incisions on the side of the ridge and cut off the head together with the insides. This cannot be done separately, as the gallbladder can be damaged. The released bile will give the meat an unpleasant bitterness.
2. We put the fish so that the light skin is on the bottom.
3. Cut off the fins and tail with scissors.
4. Cut through the skin along the perimeter of the carcass (along the fins and at the tail).

   After removing the fins, shallow cuts are made around the perimeter of the carcass to remove the skin

5. We pry off the skin cut at the tail with a knife and carefully separate it, then put our fingers under the skin and slowly tear it off from the meat, as if removing a stocking.

   The skin from the flounder, when properly cut, is removed easily, like a stocking

6. We also remove the skin from the other side.
7. We scrape the blood from the ridge.

How to clean a flounder with skinning - video

How to clean small fish, what to do with spikes: useful tips

1. It is not necessary to remove the skin from small species of flounder; it is enough to cut along the ridge line into two parts to remove the bones.
2. Small fish can be cleaned with a stiff brush, such as a metal dishwashing sponge.
3. If your catch has thorns on the top, then they can be left and removed, like bones, during the meal.

The usual way to remove scales - video

How to gut and butcher fish

If you need meat on the skin for cooking, then the flounder must be gutted. Getting rid of the insides will not be difficult.

1. Cut off the tail and fins (you can use cooking scissors).
2. Make a V-shaped incision from the head on both sides.
3. We separate the giblets from the body and remove together with the head.

Due to the unusual shape of the body, the insides of the flounder are not located like in other fish, but are located directly under the gills.

Ways to cut large fish into fillets

Only large fish, such as royal or striped fish, are suitable for separating the sirloin. In the filing process, the skin can be cut in two ways:

• from chopped pieces (after removing the fillet from the bones);
• from the whole carcass (until fillet is removed from the bones).

How to cut a large fish fillet with skin stripping

For the first option, you do not need to first remove the skin from the fish, only peel off the scales and gut.

1. We remove the head and entrails of the flounder.
2. We put the carcass on the light side.
3. We make a cut along the ridge.
4. We cut the tail section.
5. Carefully remove the half of the meat with the skin with a knife, cutting it off the bones.
6. Cut off the fillet from the second part.
7. Turn the fish over and remove the fillet from the belly in the same way.
8. We put a piece on the skin, with a knife we ​​cut off the part that adjoins the fins - fat.
9. We repeat with each piece.
10. From the tail, we make a notch with a knife, separating the meat from the skin.
11. Remove the skin from the meat in one motion.
12. We also process the rest of the pieces.

Filleting fish with skinning from a whole carcass

Before filing, remove the head along with the entrails and remove the skin with a stocking.

1. Place the flounder with the dark side up.
2. We make a neat incision from head to tail along the ridge line.
3. We put the tip of the knife into the resulting incision, remove the fillet along the bones, lifting the flesh.
4. We turn the carcass over to the other side and repeat all the manipulations.