If you are lucky enough to be able to fish in a pond or lake stocked with tilapia, you should be able to keep your freezer full of clean tilapia for meals all year. Tilapia are a fast growing fish and generally die out after the hot months of summer as they cannot handle the cold months of winter. Tilapia can be very expensive to purchase at the store and are prized for their nonfishy taste.
Instructions
1. Rinse the tilapia under cool water to remove any debris that may be on the fish.
2. Lay the fish on its side on a flat surface covered with newspaper.
3. Use a sharp, flexible knife to slice the head away from the body beneath the gills. Twist the head to remove it from the body after the slice.
4. Insert the knife into the body of the fish at the vent and slice along the belly. Remove the entrails.
5. Save the head of the tilapia for soup stock, or gather the head, entrails and skeleton, if filleted, and dispose of in the trash or compost.
6. Cook fresh, clean tilapia as soon as possible or freeze immediately for cooking later.
Tags: clean tilapia, from body
