Perch is a tasty fish, but difficult to cut. It is usually easier to catch than to clean, unless you know some secrets that allow you to remove the scales quickly, easily and without dirt.
Method 1: Scalding
This method allows you to remove the scales while preserving the skin, which is important when frying fish, since the skin gives a crispy crust. To do this, you need to boil water and pour boiling water over the fish on each side.
For convenience and to prevent injections, you need to cut off its fins.
Scales from scalded perch are easier to remove. It stops scattering in different directions, like on an unprepared fish. This allows you to cut up perch in the kitchen without the risk of washing the walls and ceiling later.
Method 2: Removing the skin and scales
This method allows you to very quickly obtain skinless perch fillets. To do this, you need to make a shallow cut that cuts the skin along the back of the perch on one and the other side of the dorsal fin.
The clipped fin is pulled out.
Then the skin is torn off from the carcass, starting from the head towards the abdomen. The next movement is to cut the ridge of the fish in front of the head.
Next, you need to insert your thumb through the incision from the back into the abdominal cavity and press it to the ridge.
By pulling the head down, you can tear out the hanging skin and offal. The tail of the remaining carcass is cut off, and after washing it can be used for cooking.
Perch cleaned in this way is more suitable for preparing fish soup, cutlets, and steaming. If you fry it, you get tasty meat, but without a crispy crust, which not everyone likes.
Method 3: Clean without defrosting
If the first two methods are applicable to fresh fish, then the third is designed for frozen fish. The fish is taken in the palm of the left hand with its belly down and its head away from you. Then the dorsal fin is cut off with a sharp knife. The blade must be pulled towards you and drawn from the end of the head to the very tail.
The fish is turned over and the same cut is made along the belly and bottom of the tail. Then the caudal fin is removed.
Next, the skin from the tail is picked up with a knife and pulled towards the head. This way both sides are peeled off. Afterwards the head is cut off and the entrails are removed. Since they are frozen, they do not stain your hands or tools.
For this cleaning to be successful, you need to start cutting the fish immediately or within an hour after removing it from the freezer. If it thaws, then it will no longer be possible to make a cutting cut along the back and belly.
