Fillet a fish

What can we use instead of tweezers, kitchen gloves, or a fillet bowl if we can't find them?

Use clean needle-nose pliers in place of tweezers to pull pin bones, wear disposable food-service gloves or thoroughly wash and dry hands and use paper towels instead of kitchen gloves, and place freed fillets on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate if you don't have a fillet bowl.

The adult's cut keeps tearing the fillet or leaving meat on the bones—how can we fix that?

Have the adult start with the small cut behind the gills as instructed, keep the blade flush against the backbone and use long, steady strokes toward the tail while stabilizing the fish by patting it dry and placing a damp towel under the cutting board to prevent slipping.

How can we adapt this filleting activity for younger kids versus older kids?

For preschoolers let them do washing hands, gathering materials, and scraping scraps into the scrap bowl; elementary kids can hold the fish, help lift fillets into the bowl and pull pin bones with tweezers under supervision; and teens can practice the backbone slide with an adult guiding the knife.

What are simple ways to extend or personalize the filleting activity after the fillets are finished?

Use the scraps and bones from the scrap bowl to make fish stock, season and cook one fillet to try different recipes, photograph and write the short description for DIY.org, or weigh fillets to compare yield and record results as a mini science project.