How To Remove Pin-Bones From Fish

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How To Remove Pin-Bones From Fish

Fish fillets are versatile, tasty and easy to cook. They’re a lot more enjoyable to eat if you take a few minutes to remove any pin-bones before cooking them.

Pin-bones are the fine, flexible bones found down the centre of fillets, as opposed to the larger skeletal bones. They aren’t actually bone, rather they’re calcified ligament and quite easy to remove.

You’ll need:

  • fish tweezers (or, at a pinch, regular tweezers sterilised with boiling water)
  • small bowl of water

Here’s how to remove pin-bones from fish fillets (scroll down for a step-by-step video):

  1. Place fillets on a clean work surface, skin side down.
  2. Run your finger along the centre of the fillet to find the bones.
  3. Place a finger either side of a bone to prevent the flesh tearing.
  4. Grasp the bone with fish tweezers and pull in whichever direction it comes away most easily (usually towards the head end).
  5. Dip the tweezers in water to dislodge the bone, then repeat with remaining bones.
  6. Alternatively, cut along either side of the bones and discard that section. Called a v-cut, this is especially suitable when fish have a dark central bloodline that you also want to discard.

Now you know how to pin-bone fish fillets try these delicious, easy fish recipes.

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How To Remove Pin-Bones From Fish

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