Choosing the right cut
Different recipes require different cuts so you may want to check out our recipe selection for ideas.
Once you know what you need, you can ask your fishmonger to prepare the right cut for you, or you can use the guide below to learn more about different cuts and how to make them.
|
Cut |
Description |
|
Whole |
As it comes from the water ("in the round") |
|
Gilled & gutted (G & G) |
Whole finfish with gills and guts removed |
|
Dressed |
Gilled, gutted and scaled. Head, tail and fins removed or trimmed |
|
Trunk |
Main body section of a finfish, without the guts, gills, head or fins, but with the tail intact |
|
Barrel(log) |
Similar to a trunk, but the tail is also removed. Often used in the case of shark |
|
Cutlet |
A thick slice of flesh cut vertically through a finfish. Bones and skin are still attached. |
|
Darne |
A cutlet taken from a round fish |
|
Tronçon |
A cutlet taken from a large flatfish |
|
Steak |
A cutlet or piece of flesh (portion) with the bones and skin removed. Steaks are often confused with cutlets. |
|
Supreme |
Similar to steak but cut at an angle instead of vertically, anywhere along the barrel. Be careful when cooking because the ends can be thinner and therefore cook quicker. |
|
Fillet |
A side of flesh removed from the backbone. The fillet may be skin on or skin off and bones in or boned-out. |
|
Loin |
A whole fillet from a large round fish such as tuna or swordfish |
|
Roast |
A large cutlet, darne, steak or loin |
|
Escalope |
A thin slice of flesh, cut diagonally from a large fillet, without bones or skin |
|
Butterfly fillet (boned-out) |
Two single fillets joined by the skin or by a thin piece of flesh. Can be stuffed or opened out like a butterfly cut |
|
Butterfly cut |
Any piece of flesh that is cut almost through and then opened out |
|
Medallion |
A small round portion of flesh |
|
Wing (lug) |
A triangular fleshy section usually forward of and including the pectoral fin |
|
Cheek |
A small fleshy section usually directly below but |
|
Fold (delice) |
A small fillet, trimmed and folded 1/2 to 2/3 of the way across, with the skin surface on the inside |
|
Roll (paupiette) |
A thin fillet rolled into a cylinder shape (with skin surface on the inside), and pinned or wrapped if necessary. Used mainly on flatfish or other thin fillets. The fillet can be spread with a filling before being rolled. |
|
Large roll (roulade) |
Similar to a roll (paupiette), but larger |
|
Finger (goujon) |
Fillet cut into finger lengths or strips about 6 cm by 1/2 cm |