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Gutting flatfish


Slug Salter

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I've just moved to south west wales and due to the lack of course fish in the rivers and being nowhere near a canal I've decided to take up sea fishing, from the beach. Tomorrow I'm heading to Cefn Sidan and in the unlikely circumstance that I actually catch anything I'd like to bring something home to eat. I'm mostly aiming for Dab and Flounder but I'm having trouble finding anywhere online that will tell me the best way to kill and gut flatfish. Any help would be very much appreciated.

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It depends on how much of a conscience you have. In the summer you could argue that it is best not to kill them, because they don't start going off until they are dead! When it's cold and they aren't going to spoil then a good whack on the head will do it. Assuming you aren't going to try filletting them then you don't need to gut them until you are ready to cook them. For cooking, just cut the head off behind the pectoral fin at an angle that maximizes the amout of "meat" left on the "upper" part of the fish, slit the belly open and wash it out, scrape inside with your fingernail to get any congealed blood out. Whether you trim the fins off is just a matter of taste.

Edited by ColinW
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Guest sandpipper

Hi just an idea of what i did was to go to your local fish mongers and have a look at what they do, a small tip i picked up was the reason the heads are left on is when the fish eyes have turned white when cooking the rule of thunb is the rest of the fish is cooked, good luck.

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I've just moved to south west wales and due to the lack of course fish in the rivers and being nowhere near a canal I've decided to take up sea fishing, from the beach. Tomorrow I'm heading to Cefn Sidan and in the unlikely circumstance that I actually catch anything I'd like to bring something home to eat. I'm mostly aiming for Dab and Flounder but I'm having trouble finding anywhere online that will tell me the best way to kill and gut flatfish. Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Nice to see you coming over from the dark side :lol: and fishing my favourite surf beach to boot :clap: Cefyn Sidan a palace of sand and surf.

 

If you have never fished it before you are in for a few surprises, always fish the flood tide, you will be moving up the beach fairly fast as the tide is quiet large this week, you will have from low to high approx 6hrs, I usually fish the last 4hrs, not so far to walk down and in my book far more productive.

 

Maddies number one bait especially on flatter days, rag or lug also fish well, plus clams and cockles picked up on the beach.

 

In size fish tap on head and remove head and gut.

 

I have been blown out on a charter today so may well put in an appearance down there myself.

Edited by Ken Davison South Wales

I fish, I catches a few, I lose a few, BUT I enjoys. Anglers Trust PM

 

eat.gif

 

http://www.petalsgardencenter.com

 

Petals Florist

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Well, we ended up at Llanstephan in the end as I'd read that Cefyn Sidan was having trouble with being commercially netted. And we blanked anyway. Still, thanks for your help, I'll certainly be trying again sometime soon so perhaps the advice I got here will help then. Need to do a bit more research first and perhaps a new rod (the pier rod I have doesn't cast too well...).

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There's a guide to filleting them on our sister site, here:

 

http://www.nesa.co.uk/Articles/filleting_flatfish_video.html

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I wouldn't bother trying to fillet dabs and flounders. If they won't fit in your frying pan when the head and tail is cut off then either

get a bigger frying pan

poach them in a poaching pan or big roasting tin

wrap them in foil and do them in the oven

I'm not a big fan of grilling flatfish if they are on the bone but some people like it. I always find they get dried out on the outside before the middle is cooked.

Oh yes, you need a big plate as well :)

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Oh yes, you need a big plate as well :)

 

Some of us can afford big plates :bleh:;)

John S

Quanti Canicula Ille In Fenestra

 

Species caught in 2017 Common Ash, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, White Willow.

Species caught in 2016: Alder, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Crab Apple, Left Earlobe, Pedunculate Oak, Rock Whitebeam, Scots Pine, Smooth-leaved Elm, Swan, Wayfaring tree.

Species caught in 2015: Ash, Bird Cherry, Black-Headed Gull, Common Hazel, Common Whitebeam, Elder, Field Maple, Gorse, Puma, Sessile Oak, White Willow.

Species caught in 2014: Big Angry Man's Ear, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Common Whitebeam, Downy Birch, European Beech, European Holly, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, Wych Elm.
Species caught in 2013: Beech, Elder, Hawthorn, Oak, Right Earlobe, Scots Pine.

Species caught in 2012: Ash, Aspen, Beech, Big Nasty Stinging Nettle, Birch, Copper Beech, Grey Willow, Holly, Hazel, Oak, Wasp Nest (that was a really bad day), White Poplar.
Species caught in 2011: Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Elder, Fir, Hawthorn, Horse Chestnut, Oak, Passing Dog, Rowan, Sycamore, Willow.
Species caught in 2010: Ash, Beech, Birch, Elder, Elm, Gorse, Mullberry, Oak, Poplar, Rowan, Sloe, Willow, Yew.

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Well, we ended up at Llanstephan in the end as I'd read that Cefyn Sidan was having trouble with being commercially netted. And we blanked anyway. Still, thanks for your help, I'll certainly be trying again sometime soon so perhaps the advice I got here will help then. Need to do a bit more research first and perhaps a new rod (the pier rod I have doesn't cast too well...).

 

Where did you pick up that nugget about commercial netting on Cefyn Sidan?

I fish, I catches a few, I lose a few, BUT I enjoys. Anglers Trust PM

 

eat.gif

 

http://www.petalsgardencenter.com

 

Petals Florist

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