How to Fillet a Big Salmon and Prepare it for Smoked Salmon Recipe

Legendary salmon fishing guide Herb Good shows you how to fillet a big salmon. He demonstrates how to fillet a salmon fast, at almost less than 1 minute. Fillet a fish and prepare the salmon for an easy smoked salmon recipe using Smokehouse Products famous Big Chief or Little Chief Electric Smokers.

[@RsN92]

Let's face it. Not a single one of us are actually going to do this 😂

[@billoldfield2843]

i live on van isle thats the way i do it

[@KevintheRhea]

@@billoldfield2843 same here! I'm out in Sooke

[@raghornhs]

“Never put your hand in front of the knife”. Proceeds to do just that. Haha. Great video and an amazingly good eating fish!

[@1nvisible14]

*@**2:22** I take a large metal soup spoon and in a single motion I scoop a long ribbon of meat from tail towards head.*

[@johnwright8703]

@@1nvisible14 We do also. It really gets all the meat. The scrapings are great for patties, chowder, dips....

[@scottsam6960]

He still did a beautiful job on his fillets tho

[@andrewcallistini104]

It Is easy to critique someone else's skill level but this fellow has the common mentality of a charter/lodge operator; A lot of waste of the resource & poor care and quality of the product. Hear are some tips Herb. Bleed your fish properly while they are still alive If possible Gut & gill your fish even If you are filleting...reason being; dragging that fillet knife through all the guts, milt, bile, blood & other digestive juices & exposing contaminating the flesh. And leave the fins attached to that belly strip..they are loaded with that good oil. We scrape our carcasses with a table spoon & make salmon patties & It works wonderfully or that whole head & skeleton goes In the pot for broth, which you can freeze for later or create a wonderful salmon chowder. We use everything but the smell.

[@deathxe5]

lol the dog licking the fish in the background

[@HowdIEvenGetHere]

OmertaCS he’s got the head- best part!!!

[@fishonlinecanada]

Great job, simple efficient explanation, and demonstration. I hope this skill will never go out of style and will help preserve tradition. Thank you for sharing.

[@garrybaxter1597]

Im watching this vid because im going salmon fishing tommorow so i just want some more tips :/

[@Jdmlsturbo]

I take a spoon, and scrape all the meat from the bone after I fillet, then I make salmon burgerSS, and make soup with the head to get the most out of my catch, 90% of people will fillet and throw away the head and carcass.

[@Ace-ke7fq]

they can't be bothered with the best parts,.specially soup..they rather eat it raw..All I can see is the worms when they do that !

[@seanchou9049]

L. J.P. Ever had sashimi?

[@willprice6484]

Duuuude you forgot about the cheek meat. It's so good

[@artsbest1]

Dog in the background with tail wagging made this video a complete one.

[@fishincalifornia3250]

You know that the head where the spine is located has some of the best meat.

[@jordandallum]

Ha

[@Chance2Explore]

That’s what she said!!

[@SEALCOATINGISLIFE]

Id love to have an ice cold beer with this guy. Great video sir.

[@dirtriderwr250r2]

i'm a meat cutter by trade and cut fish pretty well i think. That nice man knows what he's doing. Trust me. Nice work sir .

[@coyotehammer1438]

DirtRider WR250R I was just gonna say the same thing.

[@uw91]

What kind of knife do you recommend? I'm generally cleaning salmon anywhere from 4 to 25 pounds. I have a nice dexter, though the knife he was using was making that thing look like butter. (And yup, sharp knife is rule one) .

[@ivofena83]

I'm sorry but I cut salmon for 3 years professionally and in my opinion he was not good. He do know how to do it but he was far from good.

[@ivofena83]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4rUgYqchLSKsM0 This guy is a lot better.

[@suoregnadTheFirst]

I do it a lot in my job to, that is not the good way.

[@nielsversteeg3051]

4:50 presses a fly with his knive before cutting his favorite piece..

[@ariel9302]

Lol. I only came to comments to see if anyone else saw that.

[@milzijex7340]

Great he returns the precious leftovers to the river. Beautiful fish

[@nextazy8227]

Not great he could have done a very good soup with the leftovers

[@Shan-js3hn]

Or he could have made it into makeup. Yeah, it's an actual ingredient in makeup.

[@bobbinbach]

Fish scales, not fish bones.

[@markussinuraya7956]

yummy makan mentah2

[@KrimigaBooks]

bobbinbach jwa😧

[@jofloresz]

When ever you get rid of fish bones and heads you can use them for your trees. if you have fruiting trees like pecans, figs, peaches or whatever you can bury the fish bones and heads around your root systems and you will grow more fruit. The Native Americans have been doing this for ever!

[@donerkebab778]

"Never put your hand in front of the knife" 1:34 proceeds to put hand in front of knife

[@lightofheaven134]

He meant "don't try this at home".

[@terryjp3050]

wow boner you sure are smart

[@matbob7249]

Doner Kebab it’s for you loonie tunes generation. Guy knows what he’s doing just trying to protect your insignificant one. Suddenly half of generation is walking with frankie four fingers lol.

[@jamiemackay1037]

Seen

[@17moonray]

I noticed that to when he turned the fish over

[@browardcounty6233]

4:50 kill the bug with the knofe and keep cutten ........savage

[@kisskissmicheyboo]

Broward County *knife *cutting

[@CPskipper21344]

kisskissmicheyboo this is KZbin, not an English class. U don't have to correct typos as I'm pretty sure they are well aware that they spelled it incorrectly lol they just dc

[@DarthSinistris]

@SW627 I think it was a honey bee

[@Yusufandreanto]

Youve got sharp eyes

[@rayfire50]

Extra protein

[@Sandstorm9562]

Don't put your hand ahead of the knife - and the very next fillet he does just that

[@Ginseng_tea]

Sandstorm9562 you know the old saying. do as i say, not as i do.

[@savageproductions7516]

His dog is licking his dead salmon behind him

[@nickdawn3985]

Sandstorm that advice was just for newbs like you.

[@Sandstorm9562]

Nick Dawn fuck off please.

[@AK2HI]

Sandstorm9562 haha totally did it hilarious. I'll tell you as a commercial fisherman for over 20 yrs that coho is NO WAY 28 pounds at best it's 16 plus even in alaska a 28 pound coho is freaking giant they average 10-12

[@edumont88]

I love salmon. You really don't need to do a whole lot with it to get great flavor. Salmon sashimi, smoked or just baked with a fresh squeeze of lemon is amazing. In my opinion, there is no other fish that even comes close to be my favorite.

[@deesterdee123]

nice use of all the meat good job

[@serionhelbert]

there's something about watching really skillful people do their thing

[@abdessadekmadouanil3iswi726]

قناتك جميلة تبارك الله انا جديدة عندك كنتمني يدوم التواصل و شكرا ❤️❤️❤️🤝😘😘🤝🇲🇦

[@elliottgaray7137]

I like this guy! I can truly sit down drink a beer with him and listen to his stories all day long! And eat the wonderful filet of fish that he produces!

[@matbob7249]

Very nice preparation tips! I just spent 60000$ for a boat and equipment and now it’s time to go chase that 28 pounder!

[@lorenzschutzinger4619]

Always smoke the collar, it is the best part, because the meat is much stronger and has a stronger taste

[@zWaKez]

lol at everyone freaking out about the dog licking the fish and the bugs. if only they knew about all the worms and parasites that are in the flesh of fish to begin with

[@mackwinter1345]

Why do you have to remind people of that. Thats like saying the FDA allows so much rat poop in peanut butter..or saying you eat x amount of spiders in your sleep every year.

[@MrMZaccone]

Not healthy fish.

[@TheFunnyCamGuy]

Right. I work in a seafood dept and you wont believe how many worms youll find sitting at the bottom of a pan at the end of the day.

[@greygraham5361]

Papii Chuloo whatttt

[@richardd6669]

Cod is pretty nasty when it comes to worms ....Worked at Unisea in Dutch Harbor . After the fish is filleted by the machine(bader) .It comes down a conveyer belt with lights underneath...And you got to pick worms out ...Real freakin fast...I didn't last to long on that line .They sent me to shipping after i got pissed and threw the fillets back up the line...;lol...It moves so fast it makes you crazy

[@NatSpecialOAthlete]

I think you did great on this video. There are lots of great tips. Thanks for making this

[@joehanna2231]

Thank you for using the whole fish and thinking for the environment.

[@rubenherrera5550]

Joe Hanna finally the first person in consideration

[@alexpiggford2757]

Hardin Origins now, while I agree with you, was that really necessary? I mean, you have a right to say what you want, but do you have to? It's not bad to think about the environment, I just don't care.

[@alexpiggford2757]

Hardin Origins Well ok if you don't want to be happy you don't have to be

[@robertharaldsson2881]

The funny thing is, He does not tell you you can make soup of the head. He also throws away the back bone, you can make soup/stock of that. Throwing it back to the river does really not make any sense because salmon don't feed from the river, they just reproduce there. Moving on to the real part, man was that some nice handcrafting! God dayum that went fast and nice result as well! Looking dam good sir.

[@thelastking3172]

Hardin Origins You're sick of Environmentalism? That's quite odd. Are you not a Creature that exists on a Planet which demands a sustainable environment to properly run its course? People who share immoral and unfounded ideals like you are what everyone should be tired of....

[@eclecticreader961]

You're very experienced in what you do. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

[@chrisp1495]

This guy made that look way easier than it is....believe me

[@Iam-me]

The head u can cook for soup. Incld the fin. Make me hungry now...salmon sushi n salmon head soup

[@hvf26]

why am i watching this... im never going to have to do this.... yet its so interesting

[@daandemeyer1708]

I would loveto eat a fresh salmon like that. All you can buy here is chemicly orange colored salmon who was made in little aquariums inthe see with 5000+ fish. Taste like nothing. And "wild" salmon is like 80 euro's a kilo.

[@drServitis]

WHAT I WOULD NOT GIVE FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF SMOKED SALMON AT THIS VERY MOMENT! Thanks for making me incredibly hungry with your goddam video, lol!

[@ebomb4life1]

Slick spider kill. Didn’t go unnoticed

[@joehentalack2443]

Not a good idea to touch the fish with the hand that holds your knife.........And keep the guts as bait to catch craw fish in cages,nothing but an orgy of steamed craw fish in Montana.......And smoked large cut-throat trouts for breakfast(Toasted bread and salted butter)....SEL DE GUERANDE....

[@Nick210]

You keep washing the knife after touching the fish but you keep going after you kill a fly with it. Smooth.

[@timeless3911]

@G H he's not wrong^^

[@michaelbuchanan2662]

4:50 he kills a spider lol and continues lol 😂

[@nicholassavage6670]

Thank you sir this has been one of the most informative videos I've seen on this topic.

[@YellowLabradorTV]

Guy: Know I want you to try this one time. Me: Ight, lemme just grab a spare salmon im sure ones laying around here somewhere.

[@miszczu85]

4:50 did U just smash a bug with that knife?

[@gabrielthompson1072]

Show us how you prepare those wonderful salmon cheeks, yikes!

[@zenbooter]

lol

[@Sittin.]

Very nice description and well done job sir.

[@terrytytula]

Great video, you said you try to maximize the amount of meat you get. I noticed quite a bit of flesh still on the head. Is anything done with the head?

[@devonutopia]

Why "fil-A" not "fill-it" in the pronunciation? Just curious. You don't say a Bill-A block of aluminium or I'm gonna fry my steak in my Skill-A :) Bloody love salmon though!

[@violet640]

He always washed the fish- with clean water . I like it . Very clean.

[@tiha6708]

I love the smell of fish! Thats what attracted me to my wife.

[@salamkahsay3453]

Ti Ha that's not a good smell lol

[@mugensamurai]

A man who dosen't waste fish is a pro and this man is a pro.

[@tava7886]

You need a Bubba Blade, BROTHER!!

[@juniorsimon1376]

Thank you..that helps ur a great teacher my friend

[@supurbian]

you've been doing that you whole life!!...it shows.... thanks

[@dwetick1]

You did not take the bones out...Next time show us how you do it...the whole sockeye filets I buy have no bones.

[@teejayquia4415]

You can still use that head and bones, boil it along with tomatoes and onions with tamarind then you'll have a delicious fish sour soup 😁

[@Askeyb2011]

I do the exact same thing with the meat left on the bone after filleting the meat off the bone. I make a Salmon Chowder with it that everyone really likes. Especially good on cold rainy days for dinner.

[@tylergeorge9266]

that Dog was going to work on that dead fish

[@trevorkelley267]

I work for a charter service in Seward AK. I have always found it to be easier to teach beginner with a fish head on so you have something to grab on to. you have some very nice fillets though, it is a big king and you didn't butcher it like most people who cut in a sawing motion. a better way to clean your fish flesh off is take the knife and slide it against the fish softly to take all the slime and gunk off. Spraying it with water cab ruin the flesh, because salmon meat is very delicate.

[@Bubnova]

Why is this so satisfying to watch

[@darthvader5300]

Get rid of the head? That head is good EATING! Properly prepared before proper cooking with good old fashioned Siberian herbal spices and one has one heck of a heavenly meal! Salmon head is often priced even more than the fillets themselves if freshly caught! Yum! Yum!

[@CandHHouse]

Great video. I now have myself a piece of old conveyor belt thanks to this video. Thanks for the informative tips

[@Spetsop]

These types of videos make me SO HUNGRY!!! Why do I keep watching them!?! LOL

[@JustMeZero988]

You make it look easy, but at 1:14 you say "never putting your hand here in front of the knive" Very good practice. Then at 1:34 What do you do? the exact thing you just told us not to do less than 30 seconds ago??? Then at 2:36, you start cutting towards yourself.

[@ralphfurley123]

Excellent video! My father likes to use the head of the salmon for soup! Makes for a tasty broth! ☮️🖖🏽

[@noahmcwhorter1294]

I love this video

[@MsTJPink]

I had the tast of filleting a whole salmon for the first time two days ago. It wasn't very big, 2kg? I got it done, and I'd do it again but very differently lol The meat left on the back bone I scraped off with a spoon and made into pate, so I was mindful of not wasting, I got 10 good size fillets. I didn't like doing it though, so slippery!! Oh and I need the correct knife!

[@tensecondbuickgn]

Dude if that were me, that dog would weigh 500 lbs from all the scraps I'd give him/her!

[@deangulberry288]

""Don't throw away the backbone you can get at least 3 slices of meat from it" as he throws the entire head away....smh

[@1BeGe]

Make your own video about what to do with the head then.

[@yangzhu3461]

Ye make a video about what to do with the head

[@mdr6055]

This guy’s work looks pretty gross to me. I’ve watched a bunch of youtube videos of Japanese chefs slicing fillets out of fish, and that’s watching artists at work. Compared to them this is just an old gross butcher. He’s too lazy to cut the fillets up nicely with several precision cuts, he has to do it in one gross cut. I feel bad for the salmon.

[@gatovillano7009]

Wow, that was beautifully done. You cut down that fish in 2 minutes flat. Nicely done =D

[@alvinator5203]

Reading comments that the guys not “wasting anything and using everything”.....he literally through away the jewel of the salmon. The damn head! Jeez!!!

[@raghuveermotors95]

too much wastage of water. ridiculously long water spray nozzel. looking childish when washing hand. shorter spray nozzel would be good and handy.

[@lewisjohn2597]

Why not pin bone it first before cooking/smoking/curing it? Is it just laziness? Nothing worse than being served fish with bones in.....great video though for portioning it though!

[@Naxxaramus]

This made me so hungry @.@

[@yourname3649]

Its nice of you to share this with us, thank you! I think you would be very interested on learning the Ike jime technique from the japanese and also their way to clean and fillet the fish is very good :)

[@dancocco3651]

The slime and blood can give a bad taste to the meat. I always make sure the fish is scrapped and fully de slimmed/rinsed and gutted and blood free inside. The cleaning table and knife fully rinsed and clean before I will fillet a fish before I expose the unprotected meat. Each step rinse the table and knife. No blood or fish slime should never contact the raw flesh. This video should be what Not to Do!

[@hiswordisalive4623]

Very quick and clean. Though had said @ 1:16 never putting your hand behind the blade while he's cutting down one side. Then the next side he literally put his own hand behind the blade. Thankyou , I'll be mindful to heed your warning even if you don't!

[@chickenchauffeur3791]

never put your hand behind the knife...flips fish over, puts hand behind the knife and cuts under his hand

[@troymcconnell6147]

Awesome video .. thank you so much for sharing! ... would you please share what knife you are using.

[@thesaltedbeagles9525]

Lol, I cut meat for 10 years and cut in a way that is dangerous. I also give the cut safely advice while I dont follow it myself. Like you! 😀 and bad habits die hard.

[@Esatpircsnart]

Slow down and be a little more careful, and you'll do a better job. And take those pin-bones out. You haven't really "filleted" the fish if you've left bones in it - butchered, yes - filleted, no.

[@penttisuomalainen7351]

Shame to waste good fish by not bleeding after catching. Look at that blood spurt. Herb Good is not an expert. Regards, Finland

[@derekpugh5457]

What about all the meat in the head ?

[@izzantadza6113]

We South East Asian never fillet our fish.. We never throw the meat just only to remove the bone.. We just use our mouth to remove it.. U guys should appreciate the whole fish..

[@ЖизньПрекрасна-м6р]

Зажрались,если такие отходы от семги выбрасывают.

[@Noone-rt6pw]

Does fresh salmon taste better than me what's sold in stores in the south? Where I never have liked it. But like Tuna, white tuna salad is ok, dark tuna uhhh yuck. But tuna steak grilled in a restaurant puts a T-bones to shame. Where I'm curious if fresh salmon might be better?

[@rachmadjahja3265]

He is not putting his hand infront of the knive he put his hand ontop of the salmon and the knive on the bottom. ive done just like his style for over 14years as a pro fish filleter as my job for living and never cut my hand or fingers.it is very hard to explained in details why...but trust me is ok😉😉😉😉

[@sk8rdad]

"A 35 pound Salmon will have one pint of fish on the backbone"...

[@TheHannible]

I had a party a couple of years ago. A lady came and she was a bit snooty y, know posh. She asked me what is for tea? I said salmon, she said how wonderful I love salmon. I said good cuz you got a whole fuckin tin to yourself!

[@richardwalker3882]

Lol i always by salmon already skined and ready to cook but niw ima buy the whole fush and do it my self hope its cheapers

[@IIIWhiterIII]

I am late to comment but very well done! Thank you for sharing this!

[@AttilatheHun576]

If you had taken the fins and head off first you could have split that fish with almost zero meat left on the backbone. Might take a bit longer but if you have to buy that fish you are losing some money. The people who are smoking whole sides of fish really know how to do this. If you are smoking chunks I guess it make very little difference.

[@YD-uq5fi]

It is excellent that he returns the remains to the river. That is a crucial part of the natural cycle. I just hope that he is never attacked by a Grizzly bear on his way too and from, when carrying Salmon remains.

[@TiekoBarringtonMagic]

I suppose it doesn’t matter because he smoking this fish but, spraying your fillet with water is a bad thing. You never want to water log your fish steaks.

[@mrsseasea]

The head is good eating …..well us Indians do….boil it, eat checks, they are so very good, I know we eat the eyes and nose but a lot of people shy from that, but the cheeks are so very good. Try it

[@TRANE013]

На заднем плане пёс облизывает лежащую рыбу 👍

[@อาคมมากบุญ-ภ7ฐ]

พื้นที่เฉพาะ

[@yonoit1436]

This man talking about don't waste,.😂😂😂and he throw away the head, and guts, us Asian leave nothing.

[@antonpersson1537]

You can also scrape the backbone with a spoon if you're planning on grinding it down, the knife method looked good for smoking cause you get thin slices!

[@MrMZaccone]

Leaving the fins on also makes it easier for the beginner to find the spine and removing them is frankly, a waste of time at this point.

[@howardgreenwood]

It's late, i should be sleeping. I'm watching fish filleting videos.......

[@FiishOn]

A 90% du temps que je regarde une vidéo d'un américain c'est un carnage pour lever les filet d'un poisson. Aucun art, aucune délicatesse, carrément brut, limite aucun respect, très sale, bordélique et surtout manque d’expérience... c'est dingue, dans tout les domaines ils sont toujours bruts ^^ Regardaient les japonais un peu ^^ Japonais : Art, couteau de qualité bien aiguiser, propre, rangé, expérience de malade (pas tout non plus). Les français : ça essaye de faire bien mais c'est mal fait aussi, juste plus délicat. Le Japon c'est le Japon ! ! !