Filleting and grilling a whole fish can seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple to do! While testing this delicious Yellowtail Recipe I couldn’t find snapper fillets, but I could find whole snappers.

No problem—filleting a snapper (or any other similar fish) is easy if you follow these steps.

Just be sure to use your sharpest knife, whether it’s a fillet knife or a chef’s knife. I highly recommend the Opinel FORGED 1890 7" FILLET KNIFE for all of your fish recipes.

Steeped in tradition, the Forged 1890 7" fillet knife makes quick work of fish. Fully forged from X50CrMoV15 steel, the blade sharpens easily and holds its edge over time. The full tang provides exceptional balance to your hand and offers the right amount of flexibility to separate meat from the skin. this knife is truly the best for the filleting process. Their is so much flexibility in this knife’s blade.

A note on fish scales: Before you fillet a whole fish, it should be scaled. Doing the job yourself isn’t difficult, but it’s messy. For this reason, I always ask the fish monger to do the scaling for me. And actually, a good fishmonger will also fillet the fish for you, but where’s the fun in that?

I partnered up with my friends over from Travel On The Styled Side so Eric could could show and teach us how to fillet a whole fish at home and then make this exquisite grilled fish recipe! Oklahoma is so hot right now so we are embracing many grilled recipes so we do not have to turn on the oven making the house hot!

Fillet A Whole Fish

1. Rinse the fish under running water and pat dry. Position it on a cutting board with its back towards you. Using a sharp knife held behind the gills and side fin, cut straight down halfway through the fish to the backbone, being sure to include the meaty spot right behind the top of the head.

2. Turn the knife parallel to the board (at a 90-degree angle to your first cut) and cut along the spine from head to tail, removing the belly flap with the fillet. You’ll need to apply a fair amount of pressure at first to break through the rib bones. As you cut, press down firmly on top of the fish to steady it.

3. Finish removing the fillet by cutting all the way through the skin at the tail. Repeat steps 1 through 3 on the other side of the fish.

4. Remove the rib bones and belly flap by cutting under the top of the rib bones to the bottom of the fillet at a 45-degree angle. There is some meat here, but on small fish it is minimal. (On larger fish like tuna, this fatty belly is thicker and very flavorful.)

5. Finally, check for pin bones. Some fish have little bones that run along the midline of the fillet and are nearly impossible to see. To remove them, feel along the fillet to locate each bone and then pluck it out with a pair of clean needle-nose or fish pliers. Pull the bones out in the direction they are pointing, as you would a splinter.

Skinning is optional

Put the fillet, skin side down, on the cutting board. Starting at the tail end and holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, slice between the flesh and the skin, as close to the skin as possible, until you can grasp the tail end of the skin with a paper towel. With the knife angled ever so slightly down toward the skin, slice along the skin, using a gentle sawing motion. As you slice, simultaneously pull on the tail skin in the opposite direction to maintain pressure on the cutting edge of the knife. If you miss a spot, trim it away.

What do you think? Not too terribly difficult, right?!

The knife matters though and this knife from Opinel is a must. Check out all that Opinel has to offer!! They make the most exquisite knives and I know you will just love them. Take a look at the blog I wrote about them here and here.

Now for the delicious and healthy fish recipe.

The first thing you want to do is season your fish very well. We love a combination of olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder as the base. After you season the snapper, juice half a lemon directly over the fish. The acidity from the lemon compliments the fish and gives an additional layer of flavor. Lemon is also a great substitute for salt. Keep that in mind if you are trying to cut back on salt. I also used a prepared pesto and lots of fresh garlic and red and white onions for this grilled recipe!

Adding a bit of pesto sauce to any grilled fish really dresses up the dish. It can’t get any easier and the end result is better than restaurant quality dish.

Give it a try!

Ingredients

1 whole yellowtail snapper or red snapper- 1 ½ pounds (clean, descale, and filet your fish)
½ cup prepared pesto
2 red onion -chopped
1 yellow onion-chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves minced
lots of lemon wedges to serve with fish (garnish with fresh herbs too if desired)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk the pesto, onions, lemon juice, and garlic. Add a few grinds of pepper and a pinch of salt.
Lightly coat the grill rack with cooking oil or spray. Heat grill to medium high heat (350 F.). (you can use plank boards too which is what we did)
Once the grill reaches the proper temperature, place fish on the grill rack.
Grill covered over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Spoon some of the pesto sauce over the fish taking care it doesn’t flame up.
Grill 15 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Baste occasionally with the remaining pesto sauce and onions and fresh herbs
Serve with lemon wedges and fresh herbs if desired (I love cilantro and parsley)

You can also serve this with roasted carrots and brussel sprouts or sweet potatoes for side dishes and serve everything family style.

Enjoy!