How to fillet a yellow fin tuna

The migratory nature of yellow fin tuna makes them one of themost favorite species of fish to catch. They usually have a lot of meat whichis bright red when raw and equally delicious when cooked as they turn brown.Catching one is considered a fun experience since they are only available intropical and subtropical waters. As such, many people often wonder about how tofillet a yellowish tuna. There are many answers online, but some arecomplicated than others. Below is a simple guideline you can use.

Preparation

The first step is preparing all the equipment you’ll needfor the job. One of them is a sharp fillet knife that will make it easier foryou to make the cuts. You also need zipper bags for storage as well asice-packed cooler. These are essential in keeping the fish safe and fresh afteryou get the fillet.

Removing the fillet

The first step in filleting is to hold the peck fin and pull it upwards. You then have to place the knife at the bottom of the fin, behind the gills and make a cut towards the head. This means you’ll be going around the peck fin.

The second step is to place the knife at the tail but make sure not to cut too close to the tail fin. Make a deep cut and move until you get to the finlets at the top then cut along the spine bones. It’s important to keep your knife at a 45-degree angle when cutting along the spine to get a smooth cut. Failure to do so will make it harder to cut since you be trying to get through the bones which can get messy. Maintain the direction of the cut until you reach the first cut you made behind the gills.

The third step when it comes to how to fillet a yellow fin tuna is to cut along the lateral line. This should be a straight cut along with the bones that are lined up along the line. Cut until you reach the tail then remove the separated loin.

After removing the first fillet you have to work on the other side of the fish. Begin by making another cut along the lateral line towards the tail. Follow this by making another cut along the ribs towards the anal fin. The knife should be above the ribs at a 45-degree angle and the cut should be a little curved. This section is the most challenging to cut so you need to be more careful to get it right.

You should be able to remove the second loin. Repeat the process on the second side of the fish then remove two more fillets.

Cleaning

Cleaning is also an important aspect when it comes to how to fillet a yellow fin tuna and this is done by simply removing the bloodlines. The bloodline is the darker part of the meat and it is removed by slicing it off.It’s important to be careful to avoid wasting good parts of the meat. Although this part of the fish isn’t considered dangerous, removing it is necessary because it contains a stronger fishy smell as well as more oil.

When done you can cut the loins into smaller chunks that can easily fit into gallon bags. It’s advisable to leave the skin intact since it protects any bacteria that may be available from spreading.

Conclusion

When placing the loins inside bags you should place them with the skin downwards. In case you want to place more than one then you should place the first one with the skin upwards then the second one with the skin downwards. That way the flesh doesn’t meet the skin and no bacteria is spread. After learning how to fillet yellow fin tuna you can learn about different types of recipes for the fish and enjoy your meal.

Video of cleaning a Yellow Fin

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  1. Pingback: Yellowfin tuna fishing tackle | Reel Fishing Guru

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