Fillet
A fillet is a boneless piece of meat, poultry, or fish, and as a verb, to fillet means to cut such a boneless portion away from the bones. In fish, the fillet is the flesh cut lengthwise from the side, away from the backbone and ribs, giving you a clean piece with no skeleton to work around. In poultry and meat, a fillet refers to a tender boneless cut, such as a chicken breast fillet or a beef tenderloin fillet.
Fillets are prized for being quick to cook and easy to eat, with no bones to navigate at the table. To fillet a fish, use a thin, flexible knife and slide the blade along the backbone, letting the bones guide your cut so you leave as little flesh behind as possible. If buying pre-filleted fish, run your fingertips across the surface to feel for any stray pin bones and pull them out with tweezers before cooking.
Fillets are prized for being quick to cook and easy to eat, with no bones to navigate at the table. To fillet a fish, use a thin, flexible knife and slide the blade along the backbone, letting the bones guide your cut so you leave as little flesh behind as possible. If buying pre-filleted fish, run your fingertips across the surface to feel for any stray pin bones and pull them out with tweezers before cooking.