Is there any advantage of filleting a fish at home instead of buying a fillet?
Is it 'fresher' and therefore maybe tastier to fillet a fish right before cooking, or is buying a fillet just as good?
In other words; is there any difference in quality between a fillet that has been a fillet for a while (at the fish market) vs. a freshly cut fillet, assuming both fish were caught and held under the same circumstances?
Best Answer
When you cut any food you expose the cut surface to oxygen, which causes chemical changes due to oxidation. You also expose the cut surface to microbes and organisms which break down food. Both of these will impact the quality of cut meat or fish, so yes a filet cut from a whole fish just before cooking would be fresher and better quality than one cut some time before.
The effect is not great, however. If you had a whole fish and cut one filet from it the day before, then cut the other filet just before cooking both identically I doubt you would be able to tell any difference between the two.
To me the reasons for buying a whole fish as opposed to filets is cost and choice. A whole fish is easier to judge for quality than a filet, you can see whether the eyes are cloudy or clear, for instance. Buying a whole fish is cheaper than buying the filets off of it because it's much less work for the seller, so you can save some cash doing it yourself.
However, fileting a fish is not that easy. It's perfectly do-able at home and there's loads of how-to videos but it's still pretty involved and hard to do that well without lots of practice. It's also messy time consuming, so when you buy filets it's for the convenience of not having to do it yourself. The important thing is to make sure it's fresh whether it's whole or already prepped.
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Quick Answer about "Is there any advantage of filleting a fish at home instead of buying a fillet?"
A whole fish is easier to judge for quality than a filet, you can see whether the eyes are cloudy or clear, for instance. Buying a whole fish is cheaper than buying the filets off of it because it's much less work for the seller, so you can save some cash doing it yourself. However, fileting a fish is not that easy.Is filleting your own fish cheaper?
Filleting it yourself will save you moneyIn most fish factories (and decent sized fresh fish shops) professional fish filleters cut the fillets and then other staff do layer packing, weighing etc. All of this labour increases the cost of the fish fillets you buy, so you really will save if you do your own filleting.Should I buy whole fish or fillet?
Complete with bones and skin, a whole fish has more flavor and stays juicier and moister than the usual fillets and steaks. This is the case no matter the cooking method, but it's especially true when it comes to the grill.What is the difference between a filet and a fillet?
Both filet and fillet mean a strip of boneless meat. Fillet is the more general term, however, while filet is usually reserved for French cuisine and in the names of French-derived dishes such as filet mignon.Is it cheaper to fillet your own salmon?
You can ensure less food wastage. Compared to buying just the fillets, a whole salmon is not only 30% cheaper but also a more sustainable way of eating.How to Fillet a Salmon or Trout | Jamie Oliver
More answers regarding is there any advantage of filleting a fish at home instead of buying a fillet?
Answer 2
If you buy a fillet, you don't get the bones. Cooking fish (or any other meat) on the bone often gives better results, both in flavor and texture, than cooking it off the bone. I've found that especially true for whole fish, cooking it whole is much more forgiving that cooking boneless fillets. Alternatively, the bones can be used to make a fumet (fish stock), which you can use as the base for a sauce or for another dish entirely. Fish skin makes a nice accoutrement as well if you take a bit of time to make it completely crisp, you usually don't get the skin either if you buy fillets.
If the appearance of the fillet on the plate is more important, cooking it on the bone and filleting afterwards is not a great option, it's pretty hard to remove a nice fillet from the fish skeleton and keep it intact on its way to the plate, they're very delicate after cooking.
Answer 3
No, not much of a quality difference as you usually only want to eat fish within 1-2 days of it being caught. The main quality difference is the skill of the person filleting the fish. (IMO it's not that hard to get a grip in fish anatomy/filleting. There are two main types: Round and Flat fish)
One consideration, if you eat the skin from the fillet and prefer the fish to be descaled - then it's much easier to descale a whole fish than a fillet.
Answer 4
Depends how well you trust your fishmonger! Speaking as an ex professional fish filleter in Australia I can assure you that many fishmongers fillet old fish because it is easy to pass it off as 'fresh' (most shoppers can't tell the difference). I just wrote about this issue here:
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