Fish Scaler

Probably most filet their rockfish but I still like to scale them and steam them whole sometimes.  But I find the scaling to be the biggest pain in the cleaning process.  Anyone have a preferred fish scaler?

Doug

A big stout metal spoon.

Pressure washer

I use the back of my Japanese kitchen knife (shaped like a mini cleaver). Japanese chefs use 'em that way, kind of a multi purpose tool. You must make sure the fish is washed well and have a firm grip before proceeding. Would only recommend it to people who spend a lot of time in the kitchen and know their tools well though.

Mcfish: the pressure washer is such a great tool isn't it?!!

was using a fork till i upgraded to this

Where did you buy that from?

Doug

Here's a  a couple of pretty cool fish scalers from Bass Pro Shops. It says they catch all the scales too.
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=15881&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=15882&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

Here's a Japanese not so secret scaler along with a video that shows you how to do it without flying scales.



Also for you crabbers, here's a video with a technique for getting crab meat out whole with a simple home made tool. Looks a little silly but could prove to be useful.

They sure make it look easy on that vid. Gotta give it a try!

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Here's a Japanese not so secret scaler along with a video that shows you how to do it without flying scales.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1bYxHiYyCU
Hey Fred, can you translate? 

I got a simple scaler from Fishery Supply for like a dollar. It does a pretty darn good job of scaling fish.

i got the wooden handle fish scaler at an oriental store awhile back. i think it was international mrkt at union city. $2.maybe

If you want to cook fish whole, forget scaling.  Just skin 'em.  It's just as fast, and a helluva lot cleaner.

It would be perfect prep for steaming a whole fish b/c, by skinning, you eliminate a good portion of the subcutaneous fat that gets all sticky in your steamer.  So its cleaner before and after cooking!

For frying fish whole, I'm not convinced that a skinned rockcod is better than a scaled rock cod.  I like the crispy texture of the fried skin.

yakuza, I'm with you on the fish frying with skin on. I also like to salt broil my fish whole. I clean, scale and salt the fish and then broil it for about 25 minutes. Then eat w/ chopsticks. The skin gets pretty crunchy and tasty!

You're in the 95008? You must be right around the corner from me since the 95008 is so small.