How to Fillet a Catfish With an Electric Knife?

how to fillet catfish with electric knife

Catfishes are delicious to eat, and they are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and other nutrition. You will get omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from this delicious fish. They are full of Vitamins and Minerals too. Wild catfish contain vitamin D, which is pretty rare in natural foods.

Catfish is a pretty common fish, but having them regularly- will fill a lot of your daily nutritional needs.

There are a lot of different recipes and ways you can eat catfishes. You can cut them into various pieces too. Fillet is one such way. You can fillet them and prepare them as you like. They come in different sizes, and preparing them can be slightly intimidating if you don’t know. Here I will show you how to fillet a catfish with an electric knife.  

Importance of Electric knife for filleting catfish

best electric fillet knife for catfish

You can buy farmed catfish fillets from stores, but you will not get the real test from that. It cannot match the taste of fresh-caught ones that you cook on the same day. Making fillets from catfish is not that hard- you have to know how to do it most- easily. 

You can make fillets from catfish with regular fillet knives. But it might take a long time. You will have to put more energy into doing that. It can be a messy job- if you do not have a sharp knife. But with electric knives, you can do it pretty- easily and fast. 

Electric knives are an excellent tool for preparing a fish. 

They have two blades. When you turn them on, one of the blades will start going forward, and the other will- backward. 

You will not need to put any pressure while cutting a fish. It will feel like you are slicing a piece of butter. 

Electric knives are still less common than their counterparts, but they have a lot of benefits. They will give you more options for filleting your catfish, and you can easily cut through the bones and remove the head. It will allow you to cut your fish efficiently and quickly. 

With an electric knife, the chances of accidents are also- reduced as you do not have to put a lot of pressure. These knives are designed for making fillets. Cleaning catfish with electric knife will make the process very fast.  

Ways to fillet catfish For beginner within few seconds 

the best way to fillet a catfish

Filleting a catfish is an easy process. But you have to know a few things before doing it. You have to remove all the ribs from your catfish. You should remove the skin too- as it has a strong flavor that can ruin its taste. 

Avoid- including red meat in your fillet if you do not like the taste of it. 

You can remove the fatty section as well. It also has a strong flavor, probably the strongest in a catfish. 

But, you can always keep both the red meat and the fatty section if you don’t mind the tastes. 

You will need a space to cut your catfish and make fillets. You will also need a sink nearby. Here are all the things you will need while filleting your catfish:

  • Plenty of space 
  • Running clean water 
  • A trash can 
  • A clean dish or bowl 
  • A chopping board 
  • An electric fillet knife. 

Now you are all set for cutting your catfish and making some fillet out of it. Take it slowly if you are doing it for the first time.  

How do you fillet a catfish

electric fillet knife cordless

Now it’s time you use a fillet catfish electric knife to cut some nice-looking fillets. For added comfort, you can use an electric fillet knife cordless. Here’s the whole process: 

  • Firstly, take your catfish on a cutting board. Make sure all other tools are within your reach. Now take your electric knife and cut the head of the fish. It shouldn’t be hard. You will feel like you’re slicing bread. Cut the head just behind the gills. The catfish head does not have much meat on it. 
  • Now, cut the tail from the fish. Now that head and tail are removed, it is time to fillet the rest of the fish. Start cutting behind the rib cage up to the backbone and then cut up to the end of the fish. Do it on both sides. 
  • It’s time to wash the fillets. Use clean running water for catfish cleaning. 
  • Finally, you have to remove the skin from the fillets. 

There are many options; select one fillet catfish electric knife that suits you best.

How to clean a catfish fast

You can use a catfish knife to clean it neat and quick. An electric knife works pretty well as a cleaner catfish knife. Here I will show you how to clean a catfish in 15 seconds:

  • Look at your fish and draw an imaginary line from dorsal to pelvic fin.
  • Cut behind the ribcage, and when you hit the vertebra, turn the knife and cut up to the tail. 
  • Flip the fillet over and remove the skin using your knife. 

Now you have clean and nice-looking fillets. Wash them with clean running water. 

how to fillet a catfish with a knife

how to clean a catfish with a fillet knife

You can fillet a catfish with an electric knife. In that case, you have to use regular fillet knives. Electric knives are a relatively new invention. People still prefer using powerless fillet knives for cutting their fish. Filleting catfish with a knife is exactly- similar to an electric knife. 

You have to use a regular fillet knife instead of an electric one. In that case, you might have to put more pressure on it. Remember, putting more pressure means losing more control. So, you have to be very careful while filleting your fish using a knife, or you might have an accident. 

how to fillet a catfish without an electric knife

filleting a catfish

Electric knives are an easy way to make fillets from any fish- but you can fillet any wish without an electric knife; standard fillet knives are good enough for most fishes; similarly, you can fillet a catfish without an electric knife; you can do it quite easily with any standard fillet knife- take a knife and start cutting behind the ribcage and take it all the way up to the tail.

best way to fillet a catfish

The easiest way is the best way to fillet a catfish. You can use either a standard fillet knife or an electric fillet knife, both are fine as long as you know how to cut. If you have a small catfish, you can fillet one side with a single cut.

But, if you have a large fish, you should take two cuts on each side to make a good fillet- this way- you will have a perfect fillet from catfish. 

how to cut catfish fillets

Cutting a catfish into fillets is easy & fast; you can use an electric fillet knife or a stand fillet knife for it. If you have a small catfish, start cutting under the ribcage and follow through its backbone, then cut the joint from the tail- you will have your fillet.

But, if you have a big catfish- firstly, find the ribcage and start cutting from there then- take it up to the backbone; now cut alongside its backbone and take it up to the tail- you will have your fillet. 

how to bake catfish fillet

how to bake frozen catfish fillets

Baking is one of the popular ways to eat a catfish fillet; many people bake catfish fillets in the oven and eat them. To bake them- first, marinate them with your preferred ingredients and then put them in your oven; bake them undercover for 15 to 18 minutes; keep the temperature at 140 to 145 degrees.

You can check your fish with a fork- when done, it will flake easily and lose its rawness. 

how to fillet a catfish without gutting it

You can fillet your catfish without gutting it- the procedure is almost similar- you just don’t cut its gut- Usually, you cut your catfish under the ribcage; now, you will do it from down the backbone.

Firstly, make a hole on the back near its fin using your knife, and then cut it up to the tail; now cut and slice under its head, do not go too far, or you will hit its gut and cut through the meat until your fillet separates from the fish. 

how to get skin off catfish nuggets

Catfish is a delicious, light, and flaky fish when you cook it properly- Make fillet, bake them or make fish and chips out of them; you can also cut them into nuggets and fry. You might be thinking about whether you have to remove the skin for making nuggets; you do not have to take the skin off all the time before cooking. Skin retains the moisture and keeps the fillet together.

But for nuggets, you can remove the skin from your catfish. First, fillet them and then remove the skin using your knife. Then cut them into small same-size pieces. You have your skin off catfish nuggets. 

Calories in a fillet of catfish

Catfish is a great source of nutrition. It is full of omega, fatty acid, vitamins, and minerals. But, it has low calories and makes this fish a well-balanced diet. It contains 105 calories per 100 grams of catfish which is relatively low- it means it will not make you fat; Rather, other nutrition that comes with this fish will fill your daily nutrition needs.

This common fish can be a balanced diet for you. 

Is fillet catfish healthy?

filleting a catfish

Catfishes are full of nutrition and have vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids that- can provide you with a very balanced diet. Fillet is an easy and quick way to prepare a catfish. A 100 gm catfish fillet can provide up to 39% of your daily protein needs.

It contains 18 gm of protein, 2.9 gm of fat, 50 gm sodium, 237 mg omega 3 fatty acid, 337 gm omega 6 fatty acid, 121% Vitamin B12 of daily needs, 24% cholesterol need. But, try to avoid deep frying catfish fillets. It reduces nutritional value and increases fats and calories. 

FAQ

#1. Can you fillet fish with electric knife?

You can use electric knives to fillet fish. Some fishes are hard to cut. They have thick bones and a round rib cage that requires more pressure to cut. Electric fillet knives can cut these fishes fast and easily. They look like reciprocating saws.

An electric fillet knife has two thin blades mounted side by side of the knife. When you turn it on, one blade will push forward and the other one will push backward.

#2. Which knife is best for filleting fish?

A standard fillet knife is good enough for most fishes, but some fishes are hard to cut- any fillet knife will be easy- beaten up by those fishes as they have thick bones and hard-to-cut rib cages. As a result, you will have to struggle while cutting them with a standard fillet knife.

You need an electric fillet knife for these fishes.  You can easily cut any fish and make a fillet using these electric knives.

#3. How do you fillet a flathead catfish with an electric knife?

Electric fillet knives have made life very easy for many people, and they especially- come in handy when you make fillet from a hard-to-crack fish; you can fillet a catfish with an electric knife quite easily.

Flathead Catfish has a big bone under its head- start cutting from there, and follow through its backbone up to the fin. You will have a nice thick fillet this way.

#4. How long should a fish fillet knife be?

Fillet knives are made for making fish fillets easily and fast, so it has all the features you need to make a fillet. They belong to the boning knife family but are very flexible. You can use them for preparing fish and making fillets. They have 6 inches to 11 inches long blades.

It makes them flexible and easy to handle; the size is perfect for all the freshwater fishes, and they can work around bones without wasting any meat.

#5. How do you fillet a large catfish with an electric knife?

You can easily make fillets from a large catfish using an electric knife; you can make a fillet from a large catfish with a few cuts; after cleaning them, firstly, find the ribcage of your fish, then take the first cut along the ribcage and down to the backbone.

Now, take the second cut along its backbone -up to the tail to separate it from it. Do- it on both sides of your fish.

#6. Is fillet catfish fattening?

Catfishes are not something that will make you fat- and they are not- considered fatty fish like Salmon; they are a good source of omega and fatty acid. It is also an excellent source of Vitamin D, which you won’t find on too many natural foods.

All these nutrients will make your bones strong and keep your heart good. Most importantly, they will not make you fat, so, no, fillet catfish is not fattening.

#7. Is catfish good for diet?

Catfish is considered a balanced diet that is very good for your health and has low calories but is full of lean protein, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin B, and vitamin D. Vitamin D is a rare nutrient in natural foods, but wild catfish has it.

Catfish will add all these necessary nutrients to your diet; avoid deep frying because more calories and fat are- added when frying.

Conclusion 

Filleting your catfish becomes so easy with electric fillet knives. After going through the guide, now you definitely know how to fillet a catfish with an electric knife and how fast and precise it is. You can effortlessly make fillets from your catfish with them. There are many options available in the market; find the best fillet knife for catfish according to your needs and preferences.

About Travis K. Foster

Hi, this is Travis K. Foster speaking, a passionate and expert cook. This blog is to introduce you to the best kitchen gadgets. Here I inform you how I find out the best tools for my kitchen. And I review all products after good research to help you to get the best options with more kitchen tips. Stay on, Have fun! Learn more...

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