by Holle Abee

Created on: June 23, 2009

Okay, so you've caught a nice red drum. You've measured it to make sure it's legal, and your mouth is watering at the thought of spicy blackened redfish fillets. But how do you turn your catch into neat, boneless hunks of meat?

First, put the fish on ice for a couple of hours. By that time the fish will be dead, so you won't have to worry about performing vivisection on a squirming subject. Also, the flesh will be firmer and easier to handle, and most of the red's slimy coating will be gone.

For the next step, you'll need a very sharp fillet knife. Lay the fish on its side, on a sturdy table or shelf. A rough wooden surface provides more traction than a smoother surface like tile. Hold the fish's head with your left hand, and make a cut right behind the gills with your right hand, keeping the knife perpendicular to the table. Stop cutting when you hit the backbone.

Next, turn the knife blade to a horizontal position and slice slowly along the spine, using a back-and-forth motion. Cut to the tail, but not through the tail. Leave about 1/2 inch of skin attached to the tail section. Now lift the piece of flesh that you've just cut, and flip it over and away from the rest of the fish's body, leaving it still attached by the small strip of skin. At this point, the filleted piece and the rest of the fish should be end to end, joined at the tail.

To remove the skin, carefully slide your knife between the flesh and the skin while holding the knife horizontally again, with your right hand. Your left hand should be holding the left end of the fillet during this step. Continue sliding the knife blade until it reaches the right end of the fillet, freeing the flesh from the skin.

Note: If you're left-handed, just reverse the process.

Now turn the fish over and repeat the process for the other side. There will still be some rib bones attached to both fillets. Remove them individually with a pair of pliers or with your hands.

Rinse the fillets well in clean, cool water. Now they're ready to cook! For that delicious Cajun dish you've been craving, make a dry rub of one teaspoon red pepper, two teaspoons garlic salt, one teaspoon onion powder, one teaspoon paprika, one teaspoon black pepper, and one teaspoon dried thyme. This is enough dry rub for two medium fillets. Pat fillets to remove any water, and rub both sides of each fillet with cooking oil. Sprinkle and lightly rub the spices into the fillets. Heat a half stick of salted butter in a black iron skillet until hot. Add fish and cook for two minutes over medium-high heat. Turn the fillets and cook for two additional minutes. Just before removing cooked fillets from the pan, drizzle with lime juice.

If you plan to freeze your fish, place the fillets in a zip-loc freezer bag and add enough water to cover the pieces of fish. Remove all the air from the bag and place another bag over the first. Make sure both bags are securely sealed. Using this water and double bagging method, your fillets will still taste fresh months later!

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