Filleting tailor

To keep the flesh firm, tailor are best bled and iced immediately after capture and are definitely better eaten fresh.

Although they are probably one of the easiest fish to fillet, a lot of people do struggle with it, so here are Steve Jamieson’s tips on how to get the best and neatest fillets from your next tailor catch.

Fillet fish

This video has Steve Jamieson’s tips on filleting the most commonly caught estuary fish, bream, whiting, flathead and tailor.

Knowing how to fillet these species is very important, because it’s simply wasteful to catch good fish and not be able to properly prepare them cooking.

Each species requires a slightly different technique and if you study what Steve does and copy it, you will get a good clean fillet with minimal return left on the frame and also learn how to use your knife safely.

Open scallops

Steve Jamieson shows how to open scallops, which like most things, is easier if you are shown how by someone who knows what they are doing.

Fresh scallops are often available at seafood shops and are delicious. After you have watched this video, you will be able to buy them, safe in the knowledge you know how to open and clean them prior to cooking.

Steaming them in their shells with chilli sauce is a great way to do it.

Peel and de-vein green prawns

Steve Jamieson shows how to peel and de-vein green prawns, a handy skill to have.

Being able to do it means you can cook banana prawns you catch yourself in a cast net, or fresh green prawns you buy from your seafood shop in a variety of ways.

Using green prawns in seafood cooking is a taste sensation and when you find peeling and de-veining them easy, you’ll be able to enjoy prawns like never before.

Butterfly whiting

In this video, filleting maestro Steve Jamieson shows how to butterfly whiting.This variation on plain fillets provides an interesting alternative in the preparation of whiting dishes and can be used on other similar shaped fish like gar.

Knowing how to fillet fish and prepare seafood you have caught or bought is as important as knowing how to catch it and remember to always ice your catch immediately after capture, you will find the flesh is firmer and easier to fillet and it tastes much better. 

Filleting utensils

This video from the Brownies Coastwatch Vault shows Steve Jamieson’s advice on the right utensils for filleting fish.

Having a good scaler, steel and knives is very important and Steve shows a nifty way to store them safely.

There are other videos in this vault showing how to sharpen and use filleting knives.

Filleting big snapper

Catching a big snapper can be hard enough, but filleting it properly can be an even bigger challenge.

In this video, Steve Jamieson shows the best way to get the flesh off a big snapper with a minimum of waste.

Like in all filleting, it's about having the right knife for the job, having it very sharp and methodically working your way through the filleting process. 

Splitting bugs

Steve Jamieson shows how to clean and split Moreton Bay bugs so they are ready to put on the BBQ, or go under a griller.

This is a pretty simple process, but like a lot of things, is easier when shown the right way to do it.

Knowing how to clean and prepare seafood you have caught or bought is very important if you want to get the best from it.

 

Peel & de-vein prawns
open oysters

This video shows tips from Steve Jamieson on how to peel and de-vein cooked and green prawns and open oysters.

These are skills you should have if you want top make sure you get your share of any cooked prawns on offer, or want to cook some green ones on the BBQ.

When it comes to eating oysters, they are pretty good mornay or kilpatrick, but opening them fresh and slurping them from the shell, does takes some beating.

Cleaning cuttlefish

Most cuttlefish is sold in seafood shops already cleaned, but sometimes you can buy it whole and fresh and there are a few caught by anglers.

This video shows how to clean cuttlefish and get it ready for cooking. It’s a pretty simple process, but it is easier when you are shown the right way to do it.

If nothing else is learnt from this video, you’ll see where the cuttlefish backbone, often found on beaches and taken home for budgies to chew on, comes from.
 
 

Buying & storing seafood

In the warm summer months, especially around Christmas, eating fresh seafood is a great alternative to hot cooked meals.

This video from Steve Jamieson has a lot of handy hints on things you can do when you buy fresh seafood and ways to store it that will help keep it’s freshness and taste.

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Knife bevel

Steve Jamieson shows how to bevel the cutting edge of a filleting knife and the reasons for doing it.

These simple tips will help you get a better result when you fillet fish you have caught or bought.

Knowing how to fillet, and having the right tools to do a good job is part of overall fishing knowledge and technique and something all good anglers should be able to do. 

 
 

Filleting and pin boning big whiting

There's nothing tastier than a big sand whiting fillet and this video has Steve Jamieson’s tips on how to fillet and pin bone one with minimum waste.

It's one of a few videos in this vault on how to prepare whiting in different ways prior to cooking.

There's also video tips on how to catch big whiting in the fishing vault.

Flathead fillets and cutlets

In this video, Steve jamieson shows how to fillet and cutlet flathead, which are not an easy fish to work with.

Like everything, there are ways to do it with a minimum of wastage and that's what learning how to fillet properly is all about, getting the most out of the fish you catch or buy.

Scaling and filleting snapper

This video from the Brownies Coastwatch Vault shows Steve Jamieson’s tips on scaling and filleting snapper.

There is another similar video in this preparation vault showing how to fillet a really big snapper.

Both these snapper filleting videos and the others from Steve are worth studying, as knowing how to properly fillet fish, especially a good one like a snapper is as important as knowing how to catch it.

Preparing Moreton Bay Bugs

This video shows Steve Jamieson’s tips on easily getting the meat out of fresh Moreton Bay Bugs.

It’s a skill worth having if you like a feed of bugs, because you want to savour every last bit of flesh.

It's about havng the right knife for the job and using the right technique to get the job done.

Filleting whiting

Catching big whiting takes time, effort and skill and you can watch tips on how to do it in the fishing video vault.

However, there's not much point in being able to catch good whiting to eat, if you make a mess of filleting them.

So, if you struggle filleting fish, here's Steve Jamieson tips on how to fillet and de-bone a whiting.

Cleaning Squid

Squid are quite easy to catch as you will see if you watch the video in the fishing vault on how to jig them.

The big challenge for a lot of people is to clean and prepare them for cooking.

Sharp filleting knives

So many good fish are ruined when they are filleted.

It really is a shame to catch a fish to eat and not treat it like the delicacy it is, immediately ice it after capture and carefully fillet it to give the best presentation and maximum flesh to eat.