Belly Meat...

[kickingback]

Hey all, was filleting my fish last time I went out and thought to myself whether anyone else cuts their fillets with the belly meat attached. In other words, after you trim the rib cage, there is a good chunk of meat below the rib cage and bottom of fillet. I cut my fillets so they look like a large "check mark" instead of cutting away that belly meat and having straight fillets.

Was wondering what others do with the belly meat and if it is as good as the regular meat. I eat it all the time and it tastes the same to me.

[Shady]

That's the way I've always done it.

[Eagle 1]

I have never seen anybody not eat it .

[CrappiePappy]

I've watched people filet fish, even some of my friends, that make the first cut behind the gill plate .... in a STRAIGHT UP/DOWN LINE from the back of the fish to the belly, then take the extra effort/time to make the V cut to get that little extra section of belly meat

REALLY ?? (I say to myself) .... why would you cut a fish that way, losing a section of back meat as big as the first joint of your thumb, just to save time/effort .... then forfeit that time/effort to save a section of belly meat that's likely not any bigger than your pinkie fingernail ??

I don't normally make the V cut to get the belly meat, unless the fish is pretty good size. But I always make my first cut starting at a \ angle (on a fish facing left), from over the top of the head to the gill plate, in order to get that bigger/thicker section of back meat. Then I curve the cut downwards towards the rear of the breastplate/fins. And yes, I am filleting with an elec. knife. I just roll the blades under that back meat flap & then level the blades out to finish the cut down the side.

... cp

[Jdubwom]

I always fillet the ribs out 'I think the rib and belly meat is the best!

[bee]

Myself I don't bother. It goes in the waste pile that I put out for the birds and other critters. They need a little good meat.

[RCC]

Always save the belly and the meat behind the ribs. Also save the zippers.

[usafret99]

My wife calls it the thumb. Been more than one time after I get done frying the fish I go to fix a plate and all the thumbs have disappeared!

[BoarBuster]

I make the V behind the gills and when I turn the side over I cut off the rib section. Depending on the size of the fillet I may split it down the middle.or cut it top to bottom into two pieces.

[Oregon slabman]

I save the side. It's not that hard if you take out the ribs before you take the skin off. This old video shows how we do it.
http://youtu.be/bsQ7xUiOFqc