Tips: More about methods of cooking fish

PREPARING FISH
Your fishmonger will be happy to prepare any fish for you in any way you like. If, however, you fancy having a go yourself, it’s actually surprisingly easy with a little bit of practice.

Cleaning/gutting
Trim the fish by snipping off the fins with kitchen scissors. Remove the gills (if cooking the fish whole) by opening the gill flaps and cutting them out from where they join the fish.
Hold the fish firmly by its tail and remove the scales by scraping the fish from head to tail with a blunt, thick bladed knife under cold running water (with some smaller fish you can rub off the scales with your thumb).
To remove the guts, slit open the belly from the anal fin (two thirds of the way down) to the head. Pull out the guts and cut away any entrails which remain - this is easier to do under running water. Wash the body cavity with plenty of cold water.

Filleting
First, make sure you have a sharp knife and a sturdy chopping board.
Place the fish on the board and cut around the back of the head through the flesh down to the spine.
Next, cut along the full length of the fish from the head, using the blade of the knife horizontally to skim the flesh away just above the spine and rib cage, lifting the fillet up with your fingers to make it easier to see where you are cutting. Remove any small bones with tweezers or small pliers.
Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side.

Skinning fish fillets
Place the fillet skin-side down on a chopping board with the narrowest end nearest you.
Cut through the flesh up to the skin at a slight angle close to the end of the fillet to create a small flap.
Firmly hold the skin and starting at the flap, using your knife at an almost horizontal angle, cut along the length of the fish, moving the knife from side to side. Keep the blade close against the skin to release the fillet.