Electric knife anyone

As I started finally getting some salmon I faced unusual problem: how to cut it. I consider myself relatively good with knives, I butcher myself every year deer and bear, but I'm frustrated on how I cut the fish.
I need to cut it across, at about 1/2 inch thick, so it's good on BBQ. However the flesh is so tender and the backbone is so hard that I'm getting mess even trying to be as gentle as I can.
I read some years ago that electric knives are exceptional tool for cutting fish. I was kind of disdainful to that but now thinking about it.
Any suggestion on electric knives and/or how to cut big fish orthogonality?
Thanks

I haven’t myself but a good friend of mine swears by them. Enjoy your bounty
Cheers
Kerry

If you're good/experienced with a knife ("knife first, fingers second"), there's no need to invest in an electric knife for salmon/trout (opinion here). With pan fish and the numbers needed for a couple meals, electrics are the way to go -- 30 perch in no time, ....production!

With salmon/trout in the warmer months, the flesh can become quite soft by the time you're back home and start cleaning. It's hard to work with -- "like trying to carve wet paper towels"! I throw the fish in the freezer for a 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour to firm it up. It works well.

After separating the two fillets from the fish and remove the skin from each, I'll pull the bones with a small set of needle-nose pliers (smaller, chrome-plated set that I found and keep cleaned for this job only! -- "no borrowing from the garage!"). If the fish is large and needs to be "thinned" for cooking ("which all of our "manly-sized" catches would be -- sorry!"), I then run the knife on a low angle down the fillet and thereby reducing the thickness of the upper part of each fillet (ending up with 4 long strips of meat). Most often you can get away with cutting each of the two fillets in half (across the fillet); then the front end (head to dorsal fin area - thicker section) of the fillet only needs to be thinned -- much easier.

Easier to show that to write about.

Hope this helps.

Newburg007,
thanks a lot for detailed description! Easier to show but you explained it very well. Will try it on my next catch.

One last trick with larger fish (salmon/trout) is to not remove the first fillet from the fish before you take the second side off, ....I know: "What?"

Most of us start filleting by around behind the gill plate to the top of the head and then down the top of the back (along the spin/bones) and off the tail. The key is to not complete this side by removing this first fillet. Rather, leave this fillet attached, roll the fish over and complete/remove the second fillet. Now roll the fish back over and remove the first fillet (around the ribs and off before the belly). Done.

The reason for not removing the first fillet is this way your fish lays flat/whole and is much easier to start your second cut/fillet. If you remove the first side, your fish will lays "bent" (head angled up and the backbone angled down toward the cutting table = awkward angle to carve and save leaving meat along the spin. Saving meat and making it an easier job is the purpose for flipping twice.

If you cut with the fish on its belly (making both cuts along the back bones), the above technique is irrelevant obviously!!!! A buddy "pushes" his knife along both sides of the back bones first, then lays the fish down and finishes each side of the fish = strange to me! But he's the "real-life butcher", not I! I draw my knife; if I'm using the tip of the blade, you can bet I'm fixing a mistake. Works for most guys(?).

Now. To catch the fish.....? Not special skills owned here.
Good luck on the water.

For doing multiple fish of say 6-15 pounds you can easily do with a quality knife


such as Cutco or Bubba, but nothing wrong with electric either.... either of the foregoing choices take some practise but once you are comfortable with the blades you have (razor sharp) any salmon can be filleted in less than a minute.

Myself, it comes down to a good cutting board on an angle, thereby eliminating the flip over described by Newburg...so in essence 2 cuts to take off fillet, another 2 to remove rib cage and one more if you wish to cut down to skin only so fillet folds in half for putting into a ziplok bag and onto ice immediately....probably one of the most important aspects, but most overlooked


as meantioned, salmon are soft, so the faster you chill them the better the end result


Everyone has their preferred method, but what I described works really well for me

since I never get salmon, I buy it. 007 described exactly how I thin the sides before I smoke it. 4 strips almost the same thickness then cut shorter for more pieces. I will cut the belly pieces off leaving just the thick 2 pieces than thin like 007 says. works great, I just use a sharp fillet knife.

I use the same method of not removing the first fillet before you do the second side. It definitely makes a nicer job on the second fillet. That being said I like Longshank’s idea of the cutting board on an angle.......sounds like a smart solution.

So I have seen Long Shank. Lean a Salmon and it’s fast and well done. His advise is great.

I myself in my fishing friend circle am the person who cleans all the fish. I consider it one of my best skills. One point I make all the time is the right knife for the right job. My Salmon knife is 12” long as I can rip a fillet off in one stroke then take the rib cage off with my 6” knife that’s razor sharp and very flexible. Same 6” knife for a quick cut out of the pin bones. If I want to thin a fillet the 12” knife comes back out. I do all this while the fish is fresh as it’s still firm. If I can’t do it right away keep the fish as cool as possible.

My opinion is also bleed all fish ASAP when caught. IMO they taste better and filleting is a much cleaner process.

YouTube has some good videos if you need help.

Please, consider to make a video as well too.
I watch few videos and found this one most professional...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO6wJnGJzLE
Thanks for reply!