# How to Clean Whiting Quickly (Southern Kingfish)



## LittleDrummerBoy




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## NCHillbilly

That's the only way I've ever known to fillet fish? I do every fish I catch just like that, except for small mountain trout, flounder, flathead catfish, and gar. 

Whiting are delicious, one of my favorite saltwater fish for frying.


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## LittleDrummerBoy

NCHillbilly said:


> That's the only way I've ever known to fillet fish? I do every fish I catch just like that, except for small mountain trout, flounder, flathead catfish, and gar.
> 
> Whiting are delicious, one of my favorite saltwater fish for frying.



Yep.  Most of the saltwater fish we catch are bigger drum and redfish which also require a different technique, along with bigger catfish.  For the bigger stuff, we stay outside the ribs when removing the fillet from the backbone.

Gar are a whole different deal.


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## Scallen2112

Love whiting! And they are super easy to fillet. (they just don't freeze well) Slot reds are fairly easy as well. A big sheepshead can be a chore, but the ones I just don't like filleting (ironically the ones I fillet the most) are those darn speckled trout. The skin is just too thin and it can be a headache to take the fillet off the skin without cutting through it.


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## NCHillbilly

LittleDrummerBoy said:


> Yep.  Most of the saltwater fish we catch are bigger drum and redfish which also require a different technique, along with bigger catfish.  For the bigger stuff, we stay outside the ribs when removing the fillet from the backbone.
> 
> Gar are a whole different deal.



Yeah, with redfish and those heavy ribs they have, I come in from the top over the ribcage. Flatheads have a different bone structure from channels and blues, and have to be approached differently.


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## boatbuilder

Scallen2112 said:


> Love whiting! And they are super easy to fillet. (they just don't freeze well) Slot reds are fairly easy as well. A big sheepshead can be a chore, but the ones I just don't like filleting (ironically the ones I fillet the most) are those darn speckled trout. The skin is just too thin and it can be a headache to take the fillet off the skin without cutting through it.



ever try to fillet a mess of trout with no ice?

It is hard to fillet a sea trout that was not iced first.


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## sea trout

Man them whiting are delicious I wish I had some right now!!
That red drum in the back looks huge!!!


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## saltysenior

boatbuilder said:


> ever try to fillet a mess of trout with no ice?
> 
> It is hard to fillet a sea trout that was not iced first.



the first step in filleting any fish is to get them ice cold


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## Scallen2112

boatbuilder said:


> ever try to fillet a mess of trout with no ice?
> 
> It is hard to fillet a sea trout that was not iced first.





> the first step in filleting any fish is to get them ice cold



Until we moved to the coast, I never used to ice my fish. I always kept them alive in the well, but saltwater fish don't seem to last in a live-well. I've been filleting bass, crappie, and various sunfish for decades while they are still flopping around. But all of them have thicker skins and larger scales that keeps the skin together while striking the fillet. Those specks are good eating, though, and they freeze well, so I put up with filleting them.


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