Mike Hehner shares a simple step-by-step crappie filleting process.
Crappies are a great table fare and today I’ve got a couple ten and a half to 11 inch crappies which are the perfect size for eating.
I’m gonna use a four-inch bladed fillet knife which helps a lot for just moving around on these smaller fish and for getting around the ribs and up the backbone itself.
This crappie filleting process is basically just your standard filleting method. You take the knife put it under the fins and you cut down to the backbone and then all the way up to the top of the head.
Once you have made that initial cut, you run your knife along the top of the backbone and down towards the tail.
Then what I do is go back and have the knife tip in all the way and you’re just running it along the top of the rib cage you can feel it going along the rib cage peel the meat back. Your knife should be running along the top of the ribs and you’re peeling as you fillet down .
No that you have one fillet down go ahead a repeat the process on the other side. Once you have both sides completed I like to use a six-inch blade fillet knife to remove the skin from the meat.
I do this because the four-inch knife doesn’t go all the way across. Start from the tail end and run your knife against the skin removing the skin from the meat.
Once you have removed the meat from the skin the last set is to remove the pin bones. The easiest thing to do is feel them with your finger take the knife on either side you just make a thin little strip cut remove this little chunk of meat and there’s your finished fillet.