A must see video on cleaning the y-bones on pike

Thats pretty much the way an Ojibawa indian taught me how to do it in Canada, it works just as easy as he showed on that video. Pike is now the other white meat in our family, out of the clean waters up there it is better than walleye in my humble opinion…

Tuck you mentioned zipping the bones from walleye too. I’m curious how you clean them that you’d have to zip them out. I always cut through the ribs and down to the tail, skin the fillet, then cut the rib cage right off. An eater eye with an electric knife takes about 40 seconds! I’m curious if there is a better way.

I think he is talking about zipping the stubble bones out of it.

Walleye I zip after the skin is off. It gets the mud line, and the little bones out from along the spine. I’ll save some fish this weekend for pictures.

Thank you for this info! Much appreciated!

Excellant video. Like Brian K I’ve had it explained but never really seen it done. I wouldn’t mind seeing the zip process also.

Thanks

Ask, and you shall receive! Not a video, but close enough I think.

Right after scooping the ribs out, cut a fork on both sides of the lateral line on the filet.

With your right hand, grab the right fork of the filet, with your left hand, grab the lateral line. When you pull with your right hand, it feels like the meat “Zips” off the lateral line.

Then grasp the lateral line with your right hand, and “Zip” it off the remaining side of the filet.

When you are done, you are left with 2 completely boneless filets, and all the nasty lateral/mud line is removed!

I see what you mean now. I guess I have never thought of removing that section before, doesn’t it waste a lot of meat? On older walleyes from the river I trim all the belly meat off to hopefully reduce mercury intake.

Thanks for the pics Tuck!

No waste at all. It contains vertical bones, about 1/8″ in most cases. If you leave them in, they are just an annoyance. But I hear that the nasty chemicals if there are any tend to migrate to the belly, skin, and this area.

Thanks for this great post! I finally learned! I could not follow drawings worth a darn! Many thanks again!

Hey there. Any chance of a recipe? I’d like to try some pickeling. BacktrollerII

This is the best video/instructions I have ever seen. Now I’m gonna have to get some slimers and give it a try! If I can do it successfully they are in serious trouble.

This is IDA’s own Fishing Machines recipe…once you try these pickled pike you will never eat slimy herring again.

Quote:

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All right here you go for all who missed this recipe or misplaced it.

1 1/2 qt. fo fish fillets cut in small pieces.

1/2 cup canning salt

1 1/4 cups vinegar

3/4 cup white wine (Any sweet white wine)

Shake well – place in refridgerator and shake daily for 7 days. Drain and rinse well in cold water.

Mix 3/4 cup vinegar

1 1/4 cups white wine

2 onions chopped or sliced thin

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1/2 cup sugar

shake and place in refridgerator and shake dailey for another 7 days.

If you like herring you will like this.

Good luck!!

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The only thing I would add…to be on the safe side is that i freeze the pike for at least 48 hours a 0 or below to ensure any parasites are taken care of.

Good STUFF!

Brian. I fork all of my fish while filleting them. Cant believe more people dont do this. When Im in good practice I can clean a entire mess of fish with out touching even one fish. I always found trying to hold onto the skin with your figures while skinning a pain. Just stick a fork in the end and it holds it solid.

Brian:

I respectfully submit that you are better off cooking that fish to take care of parasites than freezing.

If you like a sweet/sour/spicey… here is another pickling recipe to try… I used two 25″-28″ northerns to fill the glass gallon jar tonight.

1. Filet fish, cut into chunks. Into a glass gallon jar:

2. Add enough salt to float an egg. Do not fill the

jar as your pike chunks will cause brine to flow to

the top of the jar. Cover jar and refrigerate for

three days.

3. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place fish back in

jar and cover with white vinegar. Cover jar and

refrigerate for three days again.

4. Accumulate these spices: 1 tablespoon whole mustard

seed; 1 tablespoon whole clove; 1 tablespoon whole

allspice; 1 tablespoon ground allspice;

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper; 6 Bay leaves;

3 tablespoons pickling spice; 3-4 cups sugar;

3 cups white vinegar; 1 cup water; yellow onion.

5. Combine all of the spices except the bay leaves in

loosely in cheesecloth making a bag (bouquet garni).

6. Place all of the spice ingredients in a saucepan

except the yellow onion. Bring to a boil and make

sure the fan is running. Once the boil has started

stir to make sure sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved,

cool the mixture.

7. Take the yellow onion, cut the ends off and slice on

that plane. Attempt to keep the rings together.

Layer fish, then onion, then fish, etc.

8. Pour cooled mixture into the jar. You may need to add

water to mixture to cover the fish/onions. Place the

spice bag (bouquet garni) in the jar as well, hope-

fully the mixture will cover the bag as well.

9. Refrigerate for three more days and enjoy!!!

Mark