Use this technique to remove every ounce of flesh from a mahimahi.
Charlie Levine
If you want to improve your mahimahi fillets, follow the process used by this Costa Rican mate who works on the Sea Fix out of Los Sueños, Costa Rica. Start by running a sharp knife like theBubba Blade 7-inch flex up the backbone of the fish.
Carefully work your way along the backbone from the tail of the fish toward the head. Slice through the skin and insert the blade one-half to one inch into the flesh on this first pass.
Using the sharp point of the Bubba Blade Tapered Flex, make a continuous cut to the tip of the mahimahi's head, then work your way back down toward the tail cutting around the gill plate.
Cut all the way down the belly of the fish to the tail.
If the mahimahi is a cow or female, remove the roe or egg sack from the fish. Costa Ricans, such as Alberto, pictured here, consider the eggs a delicacy. They usually fry the roe.
Work the fillet knife back down the first cut, slicing all the way to the backbone of the fish, which runs down the middle of its body.
Continue working the knife down the cut made on the first past, ending at the tail. Here's where the expert knife work starts to come into play. Lift the flesh with one hand and use the knife to cut up and over each bump or vertebrae in the backbone. The no-slip Bubba Blade handle makes this move a bit easier.
Take your time and work your way up to the head, carefully removing all of the flesh as you cut around the vertebrae.
After removing the fillet, cut it into wide, manageable pieces with the skin still attached. Finish the serving pieces by sliding the knife down the middle, just outside of the dark meat.
With one continuous cut, work the Bubba Blade away from the middle of the fillet to remove the skin.
Trim off any excess dark meat.
If done correctly, you should be able to see right through the remaining carcass. Not an ounce of fish wasted! Many thanks to Alberto for showing us this technique.
