How To Fillet Salmon (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow

• Categories
• Food and Entertaining
• Recipes
• Fish and Seafood
• Salmon

How to Clean and Fillet a Salmon: An Easy Guide Download Article Learn how to take apart a whole salmon like a pro Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: September 26, 2025

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• Removing the Entrails
|
• Making the Fillets
|
• Removing the Bones
|
• Finishing the Job
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips
|
• Warnings
|
• Things You'll Need

|Show more |Show less X

This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 128,316 times.

Filleting salmon may seem daunting, but the technique is not difficult to learn. Knowing how to fillet fish properly helps prevent you from ending up with a bony piece of fish or wasting meat. Read on to learn how to prepare salmon for filleting, wield a fillet knife with skill and make clean, meaty fillets.

How do you fillet salmon?

Private chef Jeff Woodward says to use a very sharp knife with a flexible blade. Cut down the body of the salmon, right behind the gills. Cut by the back fin, parallel with the ribcage. Lift off the part you filleted, then run the knife down the skin to remove it. Remove any pin bones with tweezers.

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 4:

Removing the Entrails

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1. 1 Rinse the salmon in cold running water. Make sure the fish is completely washed on all sides.
2. 2 Open the belly. Place the fish on its side on a large cutting board. Hold the tail down with one hand, and with the other insert a fillet knife into the vent, or the anus, located on the underside of the fish near the tail. Pull the knife from the vent along the belly toward the head, and stop just between the gills.[1]
   • Make sure you're using an extremely sharp knife to make the cut to avoid tearing the flesh up.[2]
   • You should not have to make a sawing motion; the cut should be clean.
   • Take care not to actually cut deep into the vent or belly, since the organs inside may contain bacteria that could contaminate the fish. If your initial cut is too shallow, you can go back and make a deeper cut.
   • If you do cut into the organs, rise the liquid off immediately. Make sure it flows out of the fish, rather than deeper inside.
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3. 3 Make a cut from the fish's back to its belly. Start at the backbone above the pectoral fin. Press your knife down until you can feel the spine, then make a downward cut that extends behind the pectoral fin and ends at the belly.[3]
   • Don't cut too deeply, since you want to avoid damaging the organs.
   • Gently lift the meat to make sure it is detached from the head area. You should be able to lift a flap from the side of the fish. If it's still attached to the head, use the knife to cut it away.
4. 4 Turn the fish around and make a cut from the fish's belly to its back. In a similar fashion, start the cut at the bellow below the pectoral fin. Since you're coming at it from the other side, extend the cut in front of the fin and end it at the backbone. Lift the flap of meat to make sure it is no longer attached to the head.[4]
5. 5 Place the salmon on its belly and cut off the head. Use a heavier, sharper knife, rather than the fillet knife, to make a cut straight through the background just behind the head.
   • The intestine will still be attached to the vent. Use your knife to cut it cleanly.
   • The head, internal organs, and pectoral should come off in one piece. Discard them.
   • A serrated knife makes it easier to cut through the backbone.
6. 6 Remove the kidney. The long, dark red organ along the salmon's backbone is its kidney. Use the fillet knife to carefully cut it away and lift it from the fish.
7. 7 Remove the remaining fins. Use a large knife (preferably serrated) to saw off the dorsal and caudal fins, then discard them.
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Part 2 Part 2 of 4:

Making the Fillets

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1. 1 Remove the meat from one side. With the salmon resting on its side, insert the fillet knife at the end where the head used to be, just above the backbone. Begin using a gentle sawing motion to cut through the ribs and separate the meat from the contoured spine.
   • Don't cut too far away from the backbone, since you want to preserve as much meat as possible in the fillet.
   • Cut until you reach the tail. Make a perpendicular cut across the tail and lift the fillet from the salmon.
2. 2 Make the second fillet. Turn the salmon over and insert the knife where the head used to be, just above the backbone. Use the same technique to saw through the ribs and remove the meat from the spine, creating a second fillet. When you reach the tail, cut the fillet away from the body and set it aside.
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Part 3 Part 3 of 4:

Removing the Bones

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1. 1 Remove the ribs. Lay the fillet skin side down on the cutting board. Insert the fillet knife just underneath the first few ribs. Slowly work the knife under the ribs, angling it toward the thicker part of the fish and toward the tail, to loosen a thin flap of meat containing the ribs. Continue until you have removed the ribs, then discard the flap.
   • Don't cut too deeply underneath the ribs, or you'll lose too much meat. Cut as closely underneath the ribs as possible, so you only remove a thin layer of meat attached to them.
   • Repeat with the second fillet.
2. 2 Remove the pin bones. Extract the remaining small rib bones near the tail end of the fillet with needle-nosed pliers.
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Part 4 Part 4 of 4:

Finishing the Job

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1. 1 Trim, as desired, the edges of fatty tissue from the filet’s belly meat. Some consider this portion of the meat to be too strong in taste. Simply slice it off and discard.
2. 2 Rinse the fillets in standing cold water. Salt may be added to remove superficial impurities from the meat.
3. 3 Store the meat in a refrigerator. Do not let the meat sit out for too long, or it will spoil. You can also freeze the meat in freezer bags for up to six months.
4. 4 Prepare the salmon fillets as desired for cooking. The backbone and head may be saved to make a broth for soup or risotto.
5. 5 Discard the leftovers. Put the fish trimmings, entrails, and carcass in a tied-off plastic bag and toss in the garbage.
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Community Q&A

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• Question How do I remove the gills? Community Answer You can also use a fillet knife to remove the gills. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 1 Helpful 2

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Tips

• Fillet knives should be between 8 and 10 inches in blade length with a slight curve and good flexibility. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

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Warnings

• Always cut away from your body, rather than towards it. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 2

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Things You'll Need

• Sharp fillet knife
• Glove
• Cutting board
• Awl or ice pick
• Pliers or surgical forceps
• Fresh water
• Plastic bag

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References

1. ↑ Sean “Pooch” Rivera. Chef, Restaurateur, and Culinary Media Personality. Expert Interview
2. ↑ Chef Jeff Woodward. Private Chef. Expert Interview
3. ↑ Sean “Pooch” Rivera. Chef, Restaurateur, and Culinary Media Personality. Expert Interview
4. ↑ Sean “Pooch” Rivera. Chef, Restaurateur, and Culinary Media Personality. Expert Interview

About This Article

Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef This article was reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward. Jeff Woodward is a Private Chef and the Owner of The Rogue Chef based in Branson, Missouri. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he has cooked for esteemed clients including The Harlem Globetrotters, Peyton Manning, Mark Wahlberg, and Justin Timberlake. Chef Jeff won the Branson Tri-Lakes News Reader's Choice Award 2023 for Best Catering. He has been the Featured Chef Demonstrator for 2 years in a row for The Women's Show in Springfield, MO. The Rogue Chef has been the Hollister Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Chef, an award published in Tri-Lakes News. Chef Jeff's food has been featured on KY3 Television. He publishes a recipe weekly in the Branson Globe newspaper and monthly in Lost on the Lake Magazine. He published a feature article for Chef Talks in Discover Home and Style Magazine. He has an associate’s degree from Southwestern Illinois College and a Culinary Arts degree with a Certification in Baking from Ozark Technical College. This article has been viewed 128,316 times. 26 votes - 44% Co-authors: 15 Updated: September 26, 2025 Views: 128,316 Categories: Salmon Article SummaryX

To fillet salmon, insert a fillet knife just above the backbone and gently rock it back and forth to cut through the ribs and separate the meat from the spine. For the second fillet, turn the salmon over and repeat the process. Once the fillets are removed, lay them skin side down and insert the fillet knife under the ribs, angling it toward the thicker part of the fish. To remove the ribs, loosen the flap of meat that contains these bones and discard the ribs along with the flap and a thin layer of meat. To learn how to properly remove the entrails, keep reading! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Chef Jeff Woodward Private Chef 26 votes - 44% Click a star to vote 44% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 15 Updated: September 26, 2025 Views: 128,316

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