How To Butcher A Pike
Author: Mark Velov
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)
Pike is a very tasty freshwater fish, rich in healthy, saturated fatty acids, minerals, and protein. Many housewives keep recipes for pike dishes in their notebooks, because the dishes actually turn out delicious.
How to clean and butcher a pike
Pike is a very tasty freshwater fish, rich in healthy, saturated fatty acids, minerals, and protein. Many housewives keep recipes for pike dishes in their notebooks, because the dishes actually turn out delicious.
But as soon as they remember that the pike must first be cleaned, gutted and butchered, then their enthusiasm becomes much less. Indeed, cutting a pike is a bit troublesome and requires patience, but any housewife can handle it. Our advice will help you figure out how to clean, gut and butcher a pike.
Recipes with whole pike
- Whole pike
- Knife
- Cutting board
How to butcher a pike step by step instructions with a photo
Step 1
For work, we need fresh pike, a knife, a cutting board.
Step 2
Before cutting, thoroughly rinse the fish under running water from river mucus.
Step 3
Next, you should clean it from scales. Lay the pike on a cutting board and, starting from the tail fin, holding the knife at an angle, peel off all the scales on both sides. In order to make it convenient to work, you can put polyethylene or newspaper under the board. This will help to quickly clean the workplace after cleaning.
Step 4
Rinse the pike thoroughly again under running water, washing off all the remnants of the scales.
Step 5
Cut off the pelvic fins. In this case, you should hold the fins with your hand, and move the knife against the scales.
Step 6
Pierce the skin near the head with a knife and run it all the way to the tail. Do not stick the knife too deep, so as not to puncture the gallbladder. Remove the insides from the pike, remove the film that is near the ridge, as well as the blood mass that is under it. After that, completely rinse the fish inside to wash out the remaining mucus and entrails. As we can see, there was another small fish inside the fish - pike prey.
Step 7
Make an incision with a sharp knife all the way to the ridge behind the gills, but do not cut through it.
Step 8
Put one hand on top of the body of the fish, and with the other hand, with a knife, lead along the ridge to the tail, separating the fillet.
Step 9
Flip the fish to the other side and separate the second fillet in the same way.
Step 10
Use the fins and backbone with the tail and head to cook the fish soup right away or freeze until convenient.
Step 11
Turn the fillet skin side down and carefully remove the bones. It is convenient to do this with tweezers.
Step 12
Cut the fillet off the skin.
Step 13
Pike fillet is ready to go.