Preparing a Whole fish

If this is your first time to process a whole raw fish at home, don't panic. It's quite easy, and you don't even have to read this before you can figure it out yourself. However, my dad does have some secret tips that might be helpful, so I put them in Bonus Tips. Good luck!

You will need a pair of strong sharp cooking scissors and a small knife.

1. Cut off all the fins and tails.
2. Descale. Move your knife from the tail towards the head in short strokes. The scales should come off easily as you do this.
3. Cut the belly open from the ***, and take out intestines.
4. Lift both gill covers and cut the gills out.

Bonus Tips:

There are mainly three things you can do to prevent your home prepared whole fish tastes bitter:
1. Try not breaking intestines when you take them out.
2. If you see a thin layer of black tissue stuck on the meat inside the fish belly, remove them completely.
3. Leave no gills.

There you go. Isn't that easy? And I tell you, a whole fish tastes much better than the packed slices. In some parts of China, fish head is considered a delicacy and one that is reserved for guests. So, next time when you go to China and see a dish called "blabla fish head" in the menu, don't be surprised. Try it, it's delicious. You know what I like the most? Fish brain, oh yeah...