Preparing fish to cook whole

1. Rinse the fish.

2. Lift up the operculum and using scissors cut through the holobranchia. The gills should come away easily now. (Gill filliments should be bright red, if not slap your fishmonger.)

3. Slit the ventral side open and pull out the guts and rinse out the cavity.

4. Cut away the fins using scissors.

5. Descale thoughly.

6. Rinse the fish under the tap