How do you recommend a large fillet be divided

Interested to know how others divide a large fillet into cooking size portions.  OK you catch a nice size dhuie, rankin, red or whatever and after filletting you have this thick slab of meat in front of you.  Do you recommend you cutting the fillet horizontally creating two fillets and then further divide, or cut into cutlets across the fillet or cut the fillet diagonally as is often suggested for mackeral.  I generally shallow fry my fish in flour and egg so ideally I want to end up with a 20-25mm slice of fish.  

Does how you cut / divide a fillet effect the quality of the cooked product?

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Ryan C's picture

Posts: 1575

Date Joined: 08/07/10

fillets

Thu, 2011-06-16 20:29

i also like fish quite thin around 15/20mm thick so with all my dhufish and large snapper i fillet the fish , skin the fillet then usually cut off the thin end of the fillet (the tail end) and then the two pieces i lay on the cutting board and with my hand flat on top i thin them by running the knike through the fillet halfway through the thickness, with really big dhu i have often made three fillets out of the thickest part.   hope this helps cheers

fisho-ron's picture

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give it to fisho-ron is by

Thu, 2011-06-16 20:50

give it to fisho-ron is by far the best option

Alan James's picture

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If I gave it to fisho-ron

Thu, 2011-06-16 20:55

how would he cut it?

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fisho-ron's picture

Posts: 2539

Date Joined: 26/09/09

with a knife and fork and

Thu, 2011-06-16 21:18

with a knife and fork and into the mouth...mmmmm

i like mine thin mate, it also goes alot further as well, latly into olive oil and salt/pepper nothing else.

on a good thick dhu fillet i will sometimes cut into 3 layers first then into fish/chip shop size portions, not huge but not to small where you want another one.

on the other occasions i have done some very thick fillets and then cut into fish finger size for something differant.

 

do i pass the test for fillet donations now?

JIM1's picture

Posts: 318

Date Joined: 08/05/11

i cut mine as square as

Thu, 2011-06-16 21:37

i cut mine as square as possible, i hate eating round things and having to make more cuts than nessesary, keep in mind im a nutjob and take my own steak knife when i go out for dinner lol

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mrwinta's picture

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hahaha that made me laugh....

Thu, 2011-06-16 22:25

hahaha that made me laugh.... how do you go with sliced carrots etc?

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Feral's picture

Posts: 1508

Date Joined: 01/11/06

 the only thing that should

Thu, 2011-06-16 22:34

 the only thing that should be done as diagonal is shark .. if thats the case 1-2cm thick on a 75deg cut making them longer but thinner 

with demersals youll keep the fillet firm if you remove the pin bone .. slice off the tail end and split the fillet horizontal .. 1cm thick long piecces is best as it cooks faster sealing the flesh and doesnt go dry with too much cooking.  jmo :P

Posts: 301

Date Joined: 20/12/09

I was told by an old ding

Fri, 2011-06-17 07:42

I was told by an old ding that you once worked for, whom also happened to be the best cook I have ever met, that you should NEVER cat a fish directly against the grain and that fish should always be portioned diagonally o.O

As you say 75deg and 15mm thick is the vinegar shot....

I find it interesting that you cut a fillet against the grain, I might be forced to try it, If Burty is wrong Im gonna have to have words :P

And for how I do it, I cut the fillet in half down the centre (where you bone), then cut off the thin section of the fillet, then portion the thicker section of fillet by diagonal cuts of a uniform 15mm. 

Clint doesnt like my cooking though so :)

 

JIM1's picture

Posts: 318

Date Joined: 08/05/11

if its round and bite size

Thu, 2011-06-16 22:48

if its round and bite size thats ok, but when i go out ill cut the edges off my meat so i have a lump thats eaiser to cut up instead of a thin long bit kinda thing you get when you first attack your steak etc, my steak knife is a sword utility knife and i go over it with a 5000 whetstone and can basically shave with it, prefer a fine cut rather than the chainsaw ones you usually get that destroys the structual integrity of meat i find. extreme i know lol

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the ferret's picture

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He he , Far out!!lol

Thu, 2011-06-16 22:52

He he , Far out!!lol

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the ferret's picture

Posts: 70

Date Joined: 11/12/09

Once you have the fillet,

Thu, 2011-06-16 22:49

Once you have the fillet, skin down on the board, run the knife under toward the front from the tail to take the skin (and scales off), you will see a natural groove running along the fillet, part that with your fingers and then run the knife through to the board,take off the top fin bones, take off the lower fin bones, cut around the rib bones, and then slice the remaining fillet horozontaly to your prefered thickness. rough is just as tasty as neat. enjoy!

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JIM1's picture

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Date Joined: 08/05/11

it may be as tasty but i also

Fri, 2011-06-17 16:36

it may be as tasty but i also eat for texture! steak wouldnt be steak if it was as hard as a brick lol

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