Speed Fileting a Mahi Mahi

[joelovesfishin]

These guys have some mad skills!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE_ZN1mHKvo

[takowill]

awesome

[ROBERTO REYES]

Wow, now thats ability.
But, we normally take the skin out first.
More or less like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQAeeIPGzZI&feature=related

[bayboy]

that knife is super sharp, i can't get any of my fillet knives like that

[KeysKid]

Yeah, Thats a SUPER sharp knife.

[markZ]

The first technique looked good, but as noted, he still hadn't pulled the skin, whereas the second technique, although it seemed slower, was a complete filet.

Also, I believe in the second vid, he poked the eyes before disposing of the fish, and I've noticed signs now around the docks asking fishermen to do this. Anyone know why?

[fishkabobz]

I want my knives that sharp!

[AMES]

The carcasses tend to float if you don't poke the eyes. Whereas if you do poke them they can sink easier so the crabs and other critters can help in the decomposition.

[BreathlessSight]

So you have to take the skin off to eat it? Over here the mahi I get thats cooked has the skin on them. I would imagine the mahi you saw in the vid was going to be used to cook and eat and not for sashimi. I was told that mahi under 1 meter can give you the mean shits if you eat it raw. I believe thats the reasoning to keep the skin on.

[joelovesfishin]

This was an assembly line. The guy that I was filming was just fileting the meat off the bone. There was another guy next to him that was fileting the skin off the flesh. He wasn't as fun to watch. :D

I used to skin Mahi by hand, but I noticed it left stringy bits that didn't cook as well. I've since started fileting the meat off the skin and haven't noticed the stringy bits. Sounds weird, I know...

[settingsteel]

WOW practice does make perfect, that guys amazing... hell of a sharp knife indeed. t seems he preped the fillet for the next guy to skin, notice the slit in the tail before he fillets it...thx for sharing:beer:

[FeAr_ThE_SpEaR]

If you don't poke the eyes, they fill up with gas (the eye sockets) which causes them to make the rotting carcass float and then stinks the whole marina up. so they ask them to poke em and the guts too so that they wont have this problem

[kill shot]

Amazing. That was three fish in under 2 minutes. They put a small slit in the tail of the fish before he slices the filets off. I bet that this is for the next guy in line to skin it.

[N2Fixx]

It also appears that the slit is giving him a handle for when he makes the last cut removing the fillet from the fish. He sticks his thumb through it when he makes that last cut from tail to head.
One thing that I have noticed is that commercial fish cutters always seem to use a stiff knife going against what I was told growing up that a fillet knife has to have flex. Any thoughts?

[Scott]

Amazing. That was three fish in under 2 minutes. They put a small slit in the tail of the fish before he slices the filets off. I bet that this is for the next guy in line to skin it.

I was going to comment on that detail, we used to pull the skins off also, it seemed he was getting them ready for the next guy, although, I have seen plenty Mahi at the store with skin on it, it gives it a pretty dramatic presentation in the case...yellows greens etc

[settingsteel]

One thing that I have noticed is that commercial fish cutters always seem to use a stiff knife going against what I was told growing up that a fillet knife has to have flex. Any thoughts?

same here, i've used a stiffer knife lately, but not much difference IMO, but for skinning I always use a very flexi knife...the knife he is using seems to be a "bowie-type" blade, which is probably wayyy stiffer than the one I currently use, perhaps it will make a difference, for sure the sharpness does

[markZ]

I've noticed these expert tuna and dolphin people start by removing the head, and I was wondering if a snapper or grouper filet could be tackled that way?

I use several knives depending on the fish, but have generally found a stiff blade works quite well, going against conventional logic as I was taught.

Also, does anybody have experience with electric's? I figure if the sushi people don't use them, they can't be any good, but when I come home with a cooler full, the extra power might speed the whole process up a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeiI1T7uu0o

[N2Fixx]

Never thought about removing the head first and there may be some structural differences between grouper/snapper and tuna and mahi that come into play here. Next time I get a grouper or snapper on my stringer I'm going to try going headless first.

[LwrKzUndrH2OHunter]

I've worked in several commercial fish houses in the past and we always remove the head first and the knives we used were very stiff.

Removing the heads first gives you a flatter fish when cutting the second side.

A stiff blade gives you better control for the tip of the knife plus you can really put some pressure on the tine of the blade to push through the ribs bones if you don't fillet around them.

[pirate_diver]

Also, does anybody have experience with electric's? I figure if the sushi people don't use them, they can't be any good, but when I come home with a cooler full, the extra power might speed the whole process up a bit.



I've never used electrics, but I found this video that did, while clicking through other videos after the Dolphin filet one. Electric seems to be quick and easy, but it seems to me that you loose A LOT of the filet. This redfish was big, and it was reduced to almost nothing. I guess it depends on what you want to sacrifice more...slow process, better filet OR gain speed but loose some meat?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3YoJmKyzQk&feature=related

[greg1]

Seems the guys in the commercial videos do everything they can to keep the knife from touching the table. Probably dulls it faster.

As for tearing the skin off. I don't like it. Leaves a sinewy tissue on the meat that I don't like.

Guess everybody has their way.

[joelovesfishin]

I agree with you on tearing off the skin, it does leave a lot of tissue on the meat and doesn't look "clean". I prefer fileting it off.

[Relapse]

I've never used electrics, but I found this video that did, while clicking through other videos after the Dolphin filet one. Electric seems to be quick and easy, but it seems to me that you loose A LOT of the filet. This redfish was big, and it was reduced to almost nothing. I guess it depends on what you want to sacrifice more...slow process, better filet OR gain speed but loose some meat?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3YoJmKyzQk&feature=related

Was he discarding the ribs? seems that the ribs have become somewhat of a special item in a "upscale" atmosphere and maybe they are charging more for e the dif. IDK for sure.

Correction, I saw the rib thing on the Go Phisch on ESPN.

[pirate_diver]

Was he discarding the ribs? seems that the ribs have become somewhat of a special item in a "upscale" atmosphere and maybe they are charging more for e the dif. IDK for sure.

Correction, I saw the rib thing on the Go Phisch on ESPN.

Just rewatched the video and he definitely said he was discarding the ribs. But what's this about ribs being a "special item" in upscale places? You don't mean they serve the filets with the ribs still attached do you? I've only ever had ribs on the fish when I have ordered/cooked them whole.

[LwrKzUndrH2OHunter]

When I worked in the fish markets we always cut around the ribs that way your fillet has no bones what-so-ever.

As far as eating the ribs goes I would highly recommend it. I've been eating fried grouper ribs for years. The meat is really sweet and tender due to all the fat stored in and around the belly. You just have to have a grouper big enough to even mess with it.

[pirate_diver]

As far as eating the ribs goes I would highly recommend it. I've been eating fried grouper ribs for years. The meat is really sweet and tender due to all the fat stored in and around the belly. You just have to have a grouper big enough to even mess with it.

PJ do you have to filet the fish any different in order to have enough meet left of the ribs to make it worth frying? Sounds like an interesting way to try and cook some grouper. You gonna be down the keys anytime soon?

[Tally_Luke]

I started doing the heads off thing with my fish from this trip and I really liked it. I do it a bit reversed from the guy in the mahi video. I behead it, I start the cut along both sides of the dorsal and then do a single flat cut from the beheaded portion all the back to the tail. I need a bigger knife to do it with some of the grouper, but for the smaller fish (10lbs or less) it works excellently. As PJ said, it makes the second filet easier due to the fish being flat. One thing that helps this guy out in the video is that his fish are very cold if not almost frozen stiff. His method doesn't work well if they aren't stiff.

[Quetzal]

Wow.

[LwrKzUndrH2OHunter]

Mike

There's no special cleaning method, you just need a bigger grouper that will actually have some meat between the bones.

Once you have the entire rib cage cut out, cut the ribs into individual ribs leaving meat on on side and the rib bone on the other. Batter them up and fry.

I don't think I'll be down for a while. I'll let you know when I do

[GUNNY]

Thumbs up on the grouper ribs, fried or try them BBQ just like pork ribs I had some last night!!