Editor’s Note: Champion Spearfisher, world-class chef, and new mom Kimi Werner just released her brand new 13-chapter course on sustainable cooking. Transform your relationship with food, and use code INERTIA10 to save 10% for a limited time. Sustainability never tasted so good.
It can be daunting to work with a whole fish and look a fish in the eye. To understand that fish have bones and fish have a skeleton. And sometimes it’s so much easier to eat food when there’s no face or soul or bones associated with that, but I think that’s kind of unaccountable. I think that if we are going to consume something and put nature into our body we should understand what that really means. First and foremost, being able to hold a fish, look that fish in the eye, understand that this is an animal, and then actually want to do that animal justice and want to use all parts. To want to be able to savor every morsel of nutrition and not waste any of it. That’s what I want to get into. Access the full chapter here. – Kimi
Tips on How to Scale a Fish
1. Scratch the fish against the grain to remove scales. A spoon works great.
2. Scales will fly everywhere. Outside is your friend.
3. Top of the tale, under the tale, and the belly are typically hard-to-reach spots.
4. Fish should be smooth after scaling.
Tips on How to Gut a Fish
1. Insert your knife to break the skin at the anal hole.
2. Bring knife all the way through chest plate (or around it if it’s a big fish) to the chin.
3. Open the fish and separate collars from gill plates.
4. Remove the gills. They’re connected under the chin and behind the head. Break them off in these two places. Most of the guts come out with the gills. The best use for this is compost or fertilizer. Nothing needs to go to waste!
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