How to remove bones from herring. Step-by-step instructions on how to quickly peel herring and get boneless fillets

Many people enjoy simple food, for example, ordinary lightly salted herring with potatoes and onions - delicious; my family also really loves this simple dish. But the process of cutting herring is a problem. So how to fillet a herring so that there are no bones? I’ll say right away that it’s not realistic to select all the bones, but we can try to remove the majority. Only the smallest bones will remain, which you cannot feel, especially if you cook the herring with the addition of vinegar, the vinegar will make the bones soft and invisible.

I always buy lightly salted herring, so I never soak it before cutting, and this is not recommended. The fish loses its beneficial qualities, swells from the liquid in which it was soaked, the shelf life, even in the refrigerator, is sharply reduced - only a day. Therefore, I will not give advice on soaking herring; if necessary, you can easily find it yourself.

When cutting lightly salted herring, use a cutting board or paper towels; by the way, this is even more convenient - after finishing cutting, carefully wrap them and throw them away. I’m more accustomed to using a cutting board to clean the herring. Do not take newspapers for cutting - the fish will absorb a huge amount of harmful substances. Why endanger your health for the sake of some imaginary convenience? So, how to cut a herring - step by step photos...

What do you need to cut a herring?

• lightly salted herring
• cutting board
• sharp knife
• tweezers
• waste bags

How to clean herring step by step photo

Cut off the head and tail

1. Place lightly salted herring on a cutting board, cut off the head, then the tail.

Clean the herring from the insides

2. Using a cutting board, cut off the upper fin, inserting a knife into the belly of the fish to the tail, cutting through it, trying not to damage the insides, there may be caviar or milt there, now you can easily free the lightly salted herring from the insides. Inside there is often either caviar or milt; caviar and milt can be prepared as a separate dish, or served together with cooked fish. Put the milk and caviar in the refrigerator. Step by step photo.

Cut off the fins of the fish and wash

3. Cut off the fins from the belly on a cutting board, remove the black film, rinse the fish under running cold water, place on a paper towel and let it drain. Step by step photo.

Removing the skin

4. With effort, but carefully, we divide the back into two parts, tearing the skin. You can, of course, cut it with a knife, but this way we will maintain the integrity of the parts of the back - they will be more neat. Grab the skin of the fish, remove it from one side; if the skin breaks, it’s okay, then from the other side. Step by step photo.

We take out the ridge of lightly salted herring

5. Holding the herring by the tail, grab the edge of the flesh and gently pull it up, holding part of the fish with the ridge on the plate with the other hand. Do not pull sharply so that the bones have time to pull themselves up behind the spine. For the rest of the lightly salted herring, we repeat the process of removing bones. Step by step photo.

Removing small bones

6. You need to select the bones that remain. First we pull out all the large bones, then carefully select the small ones. It is more convenient to do this with fingernails or tweezers. Step by step photo.

Ready fillet of lightly salted herring

7. After cutting the fish, we have fillets available, from which you can prepare many different delicious dishes. Now we know how to cut a herring, but how to cook a herring?

For example, we take a cutting board, cut the fillet into pieces, put it beautifully on a plate, pour it with vegetable oil, add a little vinegar if you like, decorate it with onions and herbs if possible - serve it on the table, a dish with beautifully decorated lightly salted herring looks great on a holiday table.

Caviar can also be served as a separate dish, beautifully decorated

How to cook herring

If you boil the potatoes and chop the onion with the fillet, a complete simple dish is ready. You can prepare an elegant layered salad - herring under a fur coat.

We still have milk and caviar - we will use the milk and caviar to prepare several dishes to choose from, for example, a pate of milk and salted herring caviar, or canapés with milk.

Finally, a few photos from the Internet - how to cook herring and serve the dish beautifully

New Year's herring under a fur coat is the central dish of almost every table. And here, too, there are some nuances: the salad must have boneless fish.

You can always buy ready-made fillets in the store, but store-bought fillets are usually generously covered in marinade with harmful additives. Still, it’s better to learn how to marinate it yourself.


WILL BE NEEDED
herring
cutting board
sharp knife
gloves for those who do not like the specific smell of fish on their hands
First of all, wash the herring thoroughly under running water.

Then use a sharp knife to separate the head from the carcass. Cut the belly of the fish from the head to the tail. Get rid of the insides. If you are lucky and have caviar in your belly, you can use it for sandwiches. They turn out very tasty.

Rinse the gutted herring again with running water. Now you have to remove the skin from the carcass. To do this, first make a deep cut along the ridge, from the head to the tail.

Remove the dorsal fin immediately. And then, carefully picking up the edge of the skin with the tip of a knife, remove it from top to bottom.

Now the most important thing! Divide the tail into two parts. Firmly grasp the herring by the tail with both hands, one part of the tail in one hand, the other in the other. While holding the fish in this way, wrap the herring around the tail, and a small tear will appear near the tail.

Carefully, slowly, slowly, continue to separate the herring, while all, even very small, bones will remain on the part where the back is. All that remains is to cut off the tail and separate the spine along with most of the bones from the back. Check the finished parts of the fillet. Remove any remaining seeds from them. An ordinary table fork will help you with this.

Place the tines of a fork under the remaining side bones of the herring, pull them towards you and remove. If you do this carefully, there will be no bones left.

After removing the bones, the fillets can be cut into portions or used for salad.

Many modern housewives purchase herring fillets and use them in preparing a variety of salads and snacks. However, often purchased canned food is second-rate, prepared by unscrupulous producers from fish that has lost its taste.

Therefore, it is better to purchase the herring whole, remove the bones, skin, and fins and use it to prepare nutritious snacks. Then you will be able to appreciate the freshness of the fish and prepare truly tasty and healthy dishes. How to clean herring will be discussed in this article.

To quickly separate the bones from the fillet and cook it in a few minutes, you first need to prepare the work surface and tools.

To clean the herring, it is better to select a separate board, but you can wrap it in cling film so that there is no smell and fillet residues ingrained into the wood or plastic. Instead of film, you can use a thick plastic bag.

You can wear latex medical gloves or rub your hands with lemon juice after washing to get rid of the fishy odor.

For cleaning you will need:

• sharpened knife;
• gloves (for example, medical);
• tweezers. It should be at hand. With its help, you can remove small and thin bones from the fillet, which are located near the ridge;
• paper towels or napkins. They are needed to remove intestinal films and blood;
• trash bag.

Various ways to clean herring

Let's look at several methods of cleaning fish, their advantages and procedure.

Classical

The classic way to clean herring from bones consists of several stages.

1. The fish is placed on a board and the head and then the tail are separated with a knife.
2. Holding the herring by the fin from above, carefully trim it.
3. By inserting a knife into the hole that remains, cut the belly and remove the insides of the herring. If you like milk or caviar, do not put the knife deep inside so as not to damage them. Gently spread the abdomen and free it from the insides.
4. Caviar and milk can be used to make sandwiches or snacks.
5. Turn the fish on its side and cut from one side, and then from the second strip half a centimeter wide. This allows the belly fins and hard parts to be removed.
6. Remove the black film with a paper napkin or your hands; it imparts a bitter taste to dishes. Rinse the fish both outside and inside under tap water.
7. Place the herring with its back facing you on the board and use your thumb to make a hole in the part where the fin is on top. Move up, dividing the herring into 2 halves, and then do the same, moving down.
8. Place the herring on the board and use a knife to pick up the skin, grab its edge and quickly remove it. Do the same with your other half.

The herring has been cleaned! All that remains is to remove the seeds using tweezers, cut it into portions and serve.

For the "fur coat"

Here is one of the recipes for cutting fish intended for the famous “shuba” salad.

First, place the herring on the board, cut off the tail and head of the herring. Then rip open the abdomen from the caudal fin at the bottom forward and to the end. Remove the entrails from the fish.

Rinse the milk and caviar under running tap water, place in a bowl or container and place in the refrigerator. Throw the rest of the innards into the trash.

Move the knife from the ridge to the edges, clean the inside of the abdomen, scraping off the black film: first one side, and then the other. Rinse the herring under tap water. Cut off all the fins below with quick movements - caudal, dorsal and ventral.

Make a cut along the back of the fish with a knife, dividing the herring into 2 parts, not reaching the end a little. Lay the carcass on its side and use your fingers to pry the skin away from the tail. Then gently pull it forward and up with your hand. This way you will remove all the skin from both sides.

Then you should separate the fillet from the fish spine: start from the tail, carefully dividing the fish into 2 halves and, pressing your finger against the bone, move to the head and separate the meat. Do the same with the 2nd half of the herring.

All that remains is to carefully remove with your fingers the small bones remaining on the herring without disturbing the integrity of the carcass.

Rinse the fillet, cut it into cubes, and voila - you're done! You can start preparing the “fur coat”.

Punching

This culinary method will demonstrate how to quickly peel a herring without removing all the seeds.

You must first gut the carcass, cut off the fins and remove the skin. Then the herring needs to be washed and an incision made on the back. Hold it so that 4 fingers are inside and your thumb is on the cut on the back of the fish. Then you should squeeze your fingers, squeezing out the meat and separating it from the ridge.

First, separate 1 half of the fillet, and then the 2nd, and then remove the bones using tweezers.

In one motion

There is another option for cleaning fish from bones. First, the skin is removed from the carcass, the entrails and fins are removed. Holding the herring by the tail with 2 hands so that its side is facing you, tear it a little with your hands, moving your fingers away from each other, holding the herring very tightly so that it does not slip out. Holding the carcass by the tail with 2 hands, “flip” the fish towards you, the herring will describe a circle around the tail.

Then cut the herring with a sharp movement, spreading your arms to the sides. In one hand you will have the back and spine, and in the second hand you will have two strips of the abdomen. All that remains is to carefully separate the back from the bones using tweezers or fingers. Place the fillets on a plate and cut into portions and use in the preparation of the dish.

How to remove small seeds?

To quickly separate fish meat from small bones, wrap it in a paper towel and tap it several times on the table. After this, the bones will easily fall away from the main part of the fillet.

Use tweezers to remove any remaining seeds.

The fresher and larger the fish, the easier it is to separate the bones and skin. When choosing, pay attention: if the gills are reddish and elastic, and the eyes are not cloudy, this is an indicator of its freshness.

The video on our website will help you quickly learn how to peel herring. Cutting may seem difficult only at first. Once you “get a taste” and try cleaning fish several times, you will get the hang of it and stop buying canned herring with vinegar in oil for preparing “shuba” and other dishes.

You can take Pacific, Atlantic or Black Sea herring; its full replacement is mackerel, trout or salmon; dishes with these types of fish will also turn out very tasty.

1. Before cleaning the herring, we strongly advise you to sharpen your knife. Be sure to take a sharp knife for cutting fish, as this will allow you to cope with the task correctly - quickly and without unnecessary hassle. A dull knife will tear the fibers when cutting, and you won’t get a perfect fillet.
2. To avoid leaving the aroma of salted fish on your hands, wear rubber, polyethylene, vinyl or latex gloves when starting work. To protect your clothes from stains, we recommend using an apron; you can cover the table with a sheet of paper or cling film.
3. It is better to use different cutting boards for different types of products; this rule also applies to fish. To prevent the cutting board from acquiring an unpleasant odor, cover it with white paper or a layer of cling film. After gutting is completed, the paper or film can be removed, bones, entrails, fins and other waste can be wrapped in it, and then easily thrown away.
4. After cleaning the fish, it is better to wipe the board with a sponge, which should be soaked in dishwashing detergent and rinsed with water. If this does not help and the amber remains, sprinkle your hands and board with lemon juice.
5. To make it easier to clean the herring, you can immerse it in hot water or keep it in cold water, to which you should add a few drops of vinegar.
6. If the herring is too salty, soak it in a strong infusion of tea, then it will become tastier.
7. To prepare brine for barrel fish, you can take half a liter of water, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt, pour in the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours. To make the salting stronger, leave it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
8. To make the herring tastier, you can make a marinade for onions: pour a few teaspoons of vinegar or citric acid, a little sugar into the water and mix thoroughly with pre-chopped onions, and then leave the onions in the marinade in an enamel container for several hours in the refrigerator.
9. If you do not use the fillet right away, after cleaning the fish, put it in the refrigerator, first wrapping it in cling film.
10. To prepare herring from scratch, you can buy fresh fish, cut it into pieces, put it in a jar and fill it with a solution of water, vinegar (or citric acid), mayonnaise and add onions. After it has stood for 12 hours in this marinade, the bones, if any remain, will become soft.

Conclusion

There are many recipes with herring: mincemeat, “shuba”, fish rolls, etc. We hope that the article was useful in cutting herring, and you are convinced that the task can be done even by an inexperienced cook.

Interesting culinary experiments and bon appetit!

The question of how to properly clean herring arises for every housewife on the eve of big celebrations. And this is especially true on the eve of the New Year holidays.

It is quite difficult to imagine a feast without herring and dishes made from it. It can be served in absolutely different forms - as an independent snack, part of a sandwich, or included in a sandwich mass.

Of course, the most popular dish on all tables is the “fur coat”, under which the fish is hidden.

Herring has not lost its popularity for several decades, but surprisingly, not everyone knows how to serve it correctly and it is not even always possible to clean it correctly.

For each of the above mentioned dishes, it is cut differently. We'll discuss this further.

But the main feature that unites them all is that the herring must be pitted. Many housewives do not know this and serve fish unpeeled.

How not to make a mistake with your choice

Before you start cutting the fish, you need to purchase it. The success of the finished dish will depend on the quality of the product. The herring offered for sale comes in two types:

1. Pickled
2. Smoked

When choosing any of them, you should pay attention to the shelf life and general condition of the product. The first thing to consider is the gills.

In pickled herring, their condition can be determined by their color.

If they are dark red in color and do not crumble, this product is suitable for consumption, but if you find light crumbling organs under the gill capsules, you should not risk purchasing such herring.

In the case of smoked meat, it is difficult to determine the color, so pay attention to the condition of the boxes themselves. They should fit snugly.

If there is a significant visible gap in the place where they fit, you should doubt the quality of this product. Often, especially in the case of smoked herring, sellers offer the fish without a head.

It’s worth noting right away that this is an initially dubious purchase, since it is the main indicator of freshness. If you still intend to buy it, pay attention to the color - it should be uniform.

On the body, regardless of the method of preparation and processing, there should be no stains. Elasticity plays an important role.

If pressing with your finger does not leave a mark on the carcass, then there is a possibility that this product is of high quality.

Buying low-quality, expired fish can cause food poisoning and the entry of dangerous bacteria into the body, such as E. coli or botulism.

To buy quality products, do it in trusted places and pay attention to creating the right conditions for storing them.

If you are confident in the quality of the purchased products, you can start cutting them.

Preparing the tool

When cleaning herring, regardless of the purpose of its further use, we need to obtain high-quality fillets.

This variety differs from others in its structure. It has almost no small seeds. Therefore, getting a finished product from a whole fish will not be so difficult.

Before you begin to properly clean the herring, you need to prepare your tools.

The most common problem that housewives find difficult to cope with is how to rid the cutting board of its smell after cutting fish.

If you carefully prepare it before work, then such problems can be avoided.

One common technique for neutralizing fishy odor on a cutting board is to use lemon juice.

Just take a lemon and wipe the surface with it before you start working. But this method has two main disadvantages.

Firstly, I want to use lemon for more useful purposes, for example, add it to tea. And the acid from its juice, which can feed the finished product, is not always appropriate.

Therefore, you can use a simpler technique and wrap the board with several layers of cling film or parchment paper.

You will also need a knife. It should have a very sharp blade, which will allow you to quickly and easily get rid of fins and other unnecessary elements.

Having prepared all the necessary tools, we get to work. It consists of two stages:

1. Cleaning the entrails
2. Bone Extraction

This work can be carried out using several methods. But before you start, take advice from experts. Before cutting, take another whole fish by the head and hit it several times on the table surface. Then the bones will separate better.

Getting rid of the entrails

The most common method of cleaning herring involves the following algorithm:

1. Place the fish on a cutting surface.
2. Holding it by the body, cut off the head and tail.
3. Cut out the lower and upper fins with the tip of a knife.
4. Insert the tip of the knife from the side of the neck inward and cut the abdomen.
5. Use your fingers to pick out the innards.
6. Open the fish and use a knife to remove the black film, which can become a source of bitterness.
7. Using this method, do not deepen the knife too much so as not to damage the internal organs, in particular the gallbladder, which may subsequently negatively affect the taste.

The second one may seem more difficult, but in fact it gives the opportunity to get better results. It provides for the following actions:

1. Place the herring on a cutting board.
2. Holding her by the body, make a section on the neck so that the tip of the knife cuts the cervical vertebrae.
3. Next, we make shallow cuts to cut off the head from the body, but not separate the insides from it.
4. We make a section at the end of the abdomen.
5. We separate the head, behind which the insides should come out.
6. We cut the belly and remove the black film with a knife.
7. Such actions will reduce the risk of damage to internal organs, which, as mentioned above, can significantly worsen the taste.

The seized entrails are classified as waste. But if you come across a female and find caviar inside, you can also make an excellent snack from it. Butter the bread. Peel the caviar from the film, removing the grains themselves, and place them on the sandwich.

Removing the bones

To extract bones, each housewife has her own secrets. Let's look at a few of the most popular ones.

To clean herring from bones step by step, follow these steps in the first way:

1. Place the prepared fish on the board.
2. In the lower part of the abdomen from the neck to the tail, cut strips of meat approximately half a centimeter wide; they contain small bones that cannot be removed.
3. Make a cut along the ridge to the depth of the ribs so as not to damage them.
4. Make cuts along the tail.
5. With your hands, grab the top of the half and pull in the direction of the growth of the abdomen.
6. Turn over and do the same with the other half.
7. Don't forget to remove the skin from each half. To do this, cut it at the neck, grab the edge with your hand and pull it towards the tail.

The second method is called extrusion. Using it you need to perform the following algorithm:

1. Make a cut at the bottom of the tail.
2. Open the fish along the belly like a book and place the inside on a cutting board.
3. Use your hand to press it along the spine, pushing the vertebrae out of the meat.
4. Grasp the ridge separated from the meat and pull it from the neck to the tail.
5. Don't forget to get rid of the skin. To do this, make cuts where the ridge passed and remove the fillet with your hand.

A big mistake housewives make is using meat with the skin. This is how rolls with Korean carrots, seaweed or other fillings are prepared from incompletely cut produce.

They certainly turn out tasty, but they are not served in the most convenient way.

Since guests, instead of eating the snack, need to disassemble it and get rid of the skin themselves.

If you cook them from pure meat, it will be more tasty and convenient to serve as a snack.

Let's consider what else can be prepared from peeled herring

Most popular serving methods

• Herring is served on the table as an independent appetizer. To do this, the prepared fillet is cut into pieces about 2 cm wide and placed on a plate overlapping each other, creating a pigtail effect. To enhance the taste, sprinkle chopped pickled onions on top.
• Today it is difficult to imagine a festive table without a “fur coat”. Each housewife has her own secrets of preparing it. In recent years, a common life hack has been to design it in the form of a roll. Or you can decorate the finished salad with a mesh of carrots, creating the effect of scales.
• We have already mentioned fillet rolls above. You can also use it to decorate sandwiches. But in this case, it is better to use not just fillet, but to prepare mincemeat from it. Cut one part into small cubes measuring 0.5 by 0.5 cm, and pass the second through a meat grinder with the addition of boiled eggs, baked apple and butter. Mix all this with chopped pieces and you get an excellent mass for sandwiches. Its taste is especially good with black bread.

This is not a complete list of ways to serve such a popular product.

By using this product wisely, you can surprise your household and guests with new and delicious holiday dishes every time.

How to remove bones from herring? Cutting salted herring for preparing salad and serving.

Despite the fact that stores sell ready-made fillets and preserves, many housewives prefer to clean the herring themselves. This is because assessing the freshness of whole fish is much easier. Herring is sold by weight from barrels and cans and individually in vacuum packaging. Fresh fish should have firm, dark red gills and clean, undamaged skin. There should be no plaque on it. The presence of “rust” on herring indicates its low quality or unsuitable storage conditions.
Herring is a perishable product, so as soon as it gets into your kitchen, it must be gutted, removing all the insides.

How to properly clean and fillet herring from bones

High-quality fillets can be obtained at home. To do this, you will need a convenient cutting board, a well-sharpened knife with a thin blade and a pack of napkins or paper towels. Every experienced housewife knows how to properly clean herring from bones.
To do this you need:

• Wrap the cutting board in cling film. This will help protect the surface from odor and dirt. Instead of film, you can use paper towels or newspaper
• Place paper towels on the countertop, which will be needed to remove films and blood from the abdomen.
• Make two even cuts: longitudinal along the back and transverse at the head
• Gently pull the edge of the skin from head to tail. Do not make sudden movements, otherwise the skin will tear.
• Remove the fillets from the backbone and rib bones. Thin and small bones can be removed with tweezers

Herring fillets can be stored for no more than two days. Since fish has a strong odor that is quickly absorbed by other foods in the refrigerator, it is recommended to store it in an airtight container. Metal containers are not suitable for herring; it is better to use plastic, glass or enamel containers

Have you started herring under a fur coat? Cutting herring for salad

If the herring was purchased for salad, you can clean it in another way. In this case, the ridge is removed first, and then the skin. Once you have prepared your work surface and sharpened your knife, rinse the fish in cold running water. Then dry it thoroughly using paper towels.
How to cut herring for a fur coat? First of all, cut off the tail, fins and head. Make a neat cut on the abdomen and remove the insides. If after this there are a lot of giblets and films left, rinse the herring again.

Important! Don't forget to dry the herring after rinsing it in cold water.

Gutted fish must be wrapped in cling film and lightly beaten. Do not hit the fish on the work surface; use a wooden mallet or rolling pin. This will help separate all the bones from the fish, including the smallest ones. Next, placing the fish belly down, press on it so that it opens like a book. Turn over and pull out the spine. Now divide the carcass into two separate fillets, and remove the skin from them with your hands. Remove small bones using tweezers.

For those who need it faster! Cutting the herring in one motion

If you save time, you need to cut the herring in one motion. First prepare the workpiece. Cut off the fins and remove the entrails. Don't forget to dry the belly and get rid of intestinal films. If this is your first time cutting fish this way, do it over the table. If unsuccessful, the fish will not fall to the floor.

• To make the trick work, you need to make a cut of about one centimeter on the tail.
• Then take the herring and make a circular motion towards yourself so that the carcass describes a circle around its tail. Movements must be confident
• With a sharp movement, tear the herring into two halves
• You will be left with two bellies and a backbone with a loin.
• Separate the fillet from the bones

To make everything work, hold the fish’s tail as tightly as possible

What to do with herring milk: can you eat it?

When cleaning the fish, milk may remain. Unlike caviar, many housewives throw them away because they don’t know what to do with them. Others, having learned that this is the sperm of males, refuse to eat them. However, this product deserves attention because it has many advantages.
Herring milk can be fried in batter and added to a salad or used as a filling for a fishburger. They are often placed in fur coats, in addition to fillets. In Finland they don’t ask whether herrings eat milk. Here they are added to the fish soup along with caviar. Using a blender, you can make a paste from the remaining milk. Just add a boiled egg, raw carrots and butter.

Ways to beautifully serve peeled herring on the table

Thinly sliced ​​salted herring fillets can be a good snack. It is served with pickles, pickled mushrooms, black olives and black olives. Fillet is also used for canapés. Small pieces of herring and boiled potatoes are threaded onto a skewer with an onion ring between them. The set of products for this appetizer can be anything; for piquancy, you can add an olive or pickled champignons.
If you are in doubt and don’t know how to serve herring, make sandwiches with black bread, butter and herbs. A taste familiar from childhood can delight guests and remind them of family feasts in their parents’ home. An alternative can be rolls, which are made with or without filling.

How to quickly peel herring: video

Use the video to quickly peel a herring: