How to Gut a Fish

Gutting a fish refers to the process of removing the fish’s entrails. Many stores do this themselves before selling whole fish to you. If you’re buying a whole fish, ask whether it’s been gutted before you buy it. If you have to gut the fish yourself, the easiest way to do it is to open the fish’s belly by cutting directly into the sides of the fish. However, this method distorts the shape of the fish, making it less appetizing as well as more difficult to stuff. For this reason, the most common method used to gut a fish is the following:

Using scissors or a knife, make an incision on the underside of the fish from the anus to the gills.
Reach inside the fish and, using your fingers or a spoon, remove the intestines.
Reach again inside the fish and remove the gills.
Rinse the inside of the fish under cold water. You may also want to scrape out the surface of the cavity with a spoon.

Liver and Roe

Within the cavity along with the intestines and gills, you will also find the fish’s liver and either hard roe (egg-filled ovaries) or soft roe (sperm). You may remove these if you wish, though in certain species of fish they’re edible.

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