Prepare and cook a whole, round fish like a chef

Fish is both delicious and extremely healthy, but it can be a pain to prepare. These tips will teach you everything you need to know, from trimming and scaling to how to filet.

A fresh fish has bright, slippery skin, tight scales, and bright eyes and gills. It should feel firm to the touch and should smell of the sea, rather than "fishy." Before cooking, fish may need to be trimmed and scaled, cleaned (gutted), boned, and skinned. We'll go over everything.

Here's what you'll need before starting: scissors, a small sharp knife, plastic bag, chopping board, large cook's knife, teaspoon, filleting or medium-sized cook's knife, and tweezers.

How to cut fish steaks: Use a large cook's knife to cut steaks two to three centimetres (3/4 to 1 1/2 inch) thick, starting from the widest part of the body. Only remove the central bone after cooking.

Preparing a whole, round fish: Before handling any fish, wash your hands thoroughly and improve your grip by dipping your fingers into salt. Wash your hands again when you're finished. Here are the steps you'll need to perform when preparing a whole fish:

1. Trimming: Use scissors or a small sharp knife to cut fins from both sides and along the back.
2. Scaling: Put the fish into a plastic bag and onto a chopping board. Hold the tail in one hand and work the knife from tail to head, using the bag to catch the scales.
3. Skinning: You only need to skin the fish if your recipe requires it. With a sharp knife, loosen the skin around the head and then gently insert and draw the knife beneath the skin towards the tail. Repeat for the other side.
4. Cleaning: Hold the fish on its side and slice it along the belly with a small sharp knife until you reach the head. Pull the opening apart to widen it, and then scrape out the intestines with a knife or teaspoon. Rinse the fish well under cold running water, running a teaspoon along the backbone to remove any blood clots.

A filleting knife with a flexible blade makes this job easier. If you don't have one, use a medium-sized cook's knife. Leaving the head on will help the fish to keep its shape during cooking.

1. Hold the fish with its cleaned cavity toward you. Slide the knife between the ribs and the flesh on both sides, freeing all the ribs down the backbone and taking care not to cut through to the skin.
2. Use scissors to cut through and release each end of the backbone. Then gently peel it away from the flesh, beginning at the head, and using a small knife to ease it if necessary.
3. Check that no small bones remain, especially around the edges. Use tweezers to remove any left behind. Bones can be kept and used to make fish stock.

A whole, round fish provides two fillets, one on each side of the backbone. Remove the head before you start, but leave the skin in place. The head can be used when making stock.

1. Put the fish on its side with the tail towards you. Working from head to tail, cut along the length of its back right through to the backbone with the knife, parallel to the work surface.
2. Starting at the head end, free the flesh from the rib bones on one side. Work the knife along the underside until the top fillet comes away.
3. Then, pulling gently, cut away the second lower fillet. Remove any bones with tweezers.

Serving fresh, delicious fish fillets is sure to impress any dinner guests you might have over. And don't worry: you don't have to tell them how easy it was.

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