Hey Guys! If anyone watching this and fishes in Florida, you’ll know exactly what kind of fish this is.
And for those that don’t, this is a mangrove snapper and is one of the most popular snapper in the gulf of mexico
and on the Atlantic side too.
The meat is firm and has a mild flavor when eaten raw. And the quality is absolutely top notch and comparable to many other snappers around the world.
Also, if you noticed, I’m being really careful when cutting around the head.
Because I don’t want to cut into the stomach and release all that bacteria out and onto my knife.
The last thing I want to do is contaminate the fillet with my knife or the cutting board
Somebody might ask why mess with the head if you’re not going to eat it.
Well, there’s several reasons, one, its easier for me to fillet it with the head off,
and two, it gives me a chance to inspect the fish for parasites.
A lot of people think that all fish have to be frozen before eating it raw. Well..that’s not always true.
Some fish like wild salmon, definitely should be frozen first,
but for most saltwater fish it all depends on what kind of fish it is.
For this kind of snapper its very rare to have that issue.
And one way to check….is to inspect the stomach area
So for example, check areas like, the air bladder, stomach, liver, and the fat.
If you don’t see any problems there, then it shouldn't be an issue.
Here, I’m scoring the fish first, and then slowly working my way inside but at the same time keeping the blade right on top of the bone
Also, I’ve said many times before in my other videos, that its so important to bleed the fish if you’re going to be making sushi. If not, you’re going to have a bloody mess.
And the meat won’t taste as good
When cutting for sushi, you want to be very gentle with the meat, don’t put too much pressure or bend it too much or else the meat will crack,
and thats going to be a challenge when cutting for sushi later one
Also, make sure to cut around the hump, so you get all the meat
And here, I’m cutting along the rib bones, staying right on top of it. You can cut thru it and just cut out the bones later, but its one extra step.
So you can tell this fish has been scaled already.
This is totally up to you. Scaling a fish for sushi is pretty standard in Japan
and thats because most of them serve it with the skin on, and the skin is normally flash cooked with hot water or torched
For me, having it scaled is less messy when I’m filleting it
because the scales won’t be all over the cutting board and my hand
and also, its less likely the scales will get embedded in the meat as I’m cutting it. The last thing you want is to chew on a piece of scale.
So you might be wondering why I’m filleting with the bone side up
this looks pretty unusual, right?
Well, this is another way of filleting the second half of the fish.
Some of you guys who have clean fish before. You know that the second side is sometimes harder to clean
This is a really good technique too if you’re working with a fish much bigger than the one you see here
Say, if you got a 20 pound snapper, by filleting it this way, you won’t constantly have to hold up the meat with one hand and risk cracking the meat as it bends on its own weight
Let me know what you guys think, maybe I’m completely wrong
Theres so many ways to fillet a fish and this is just one of them
If you find a style you like, then stick to it and master it. Its the end result that matter.
I just wanted to show a clip from another video
this is the typical way of filleting the second side.
Of course, its much easier if you’re working with a smaller fish like this yellowtail snapper.
If you have a thin fillet knife like this, its much easier to skin it with. Totally up to you.
You’re going to want to press the blade down and keep it flat as you work thru the meat
and make sure to hold the skin with your other hand as you do this.
Most fish are going to have pin bones in the center, running and about half way down
To remove them, make 2 cuts on both sides of the bones.
So here I’m just looking over the filet and trimming off whatever I see
This right here is a little chewy so I'm taking that off
And also, try to cut off the red meat, this is a little fishy and kinda ruins in the taste if theres too much on there
Here I’m cutting pieces for sashimi
some people like them thin or thick. I think it depends on what type of fish you’re working with
For this kind of snapper, about ¼ to ½ inch will give you the perfect texture, any thicker, it’ll be too chewy
But for fish like Tuna and Salmon, you can go as thick as an inch
I forgot to mention the filet before was the top side of the filet
when cutting for sushi pieces, I prefer the belly side because the meat isn’t as thick and its easier to work with
Every chef has their own style of making sushi
but the key is to shape it as fast as you can.
Because your hand will actually cook the meat if you hold it too long
As you shape it, try to remember each position and remember the count
That way, each piece of sushi will come out exactly like the last, like a clone.
Thats the secret of making good nigiri
Alright guys, I hope you all enjoyed the video and try this for yourself
Also, if you want to see part two of this video where I made a snapper sashimi dish with ponzu dressing and a pokey salad dish
Please check out the next video. As always, leave your comments and questions below and subscribe for more!