Might be too late since you posted yesterday but...
To fillet a fish, place it on a cutting board covered with newspaper (helps reduce slippage and prevents the cutting board from getting fishy). Hold it by the fin and run a SHARP knife around the outside of the gill behind the fin, up to the back bone, making sure the knife goes right through to the backbone. Then turn the knife toward the tail and slice off the fillet with the knife against the backbone and parallel to the cutting board. Repeat on the other side - and yes, it's on side is always easier depending if you're left or right handed!
Remove the pinbones from the fillet if you're feeling picky or if you will get whining at the dinner table if you don't.
I would cut out the gills and not add them to the stock pot, because they are essentially guts and tend to start to degrade very quickly after death. But the tail, spine and head should definitely go in. Yum! (For a real treat, after the stock has been bubbling for about 7 minutes, fish the head out and get the cheeks from under the gill plate. YUM! They're the best part of the fish. )
To fillet a fish, place it on a cutting board covered with newspaper (helps reduce slippage and prevents the cutting board from getting fishy). Hold it by the fin and run a SHARP knife around the outside of the gill behind the fin, up to the back bone, making sure the knife goes right through to the backbone. Then turn the knife toward the tail and slice off the fillet with the knife against the backbone and parallel to the cutting board. Repeat on the other side - and yes, it's on side is always easier depending if you're left or right handed!
Remove the pinbones from the fillet if you're feeling picky or if you will get whining at the dinner table if you don't.
I would cut out the gills and not add them to the stock pot, because they are essentially guts and tend to start to degrade very quickly after death. But the tail, spine and head should definitely go in. Yum! (For a real treat, after the stock has been bubbling for about 7 minutes, fish the head out and get the cheeks from under the gill plate. YUM! They're the best part of the fish. )
