Fileting lings - any suggestions?

When I filet a ling, I almost always wind up with a row of bones up in the middle of the filet.  Is there a way to get them out without wasting a lot of meat or just doing it on your plate after cooking?  Do they have a different bone structure than rockfish? 

How about like this:

Z

Hey Z cool video, but since that's not a lingcod, it doesn't show the problem Tom is referring to.


So the answer is yes, their bone structure is a bit different, mainly that middle row that extends into the fillet.

Tom I usually fillet out each side then make a vertical cut alongside that pesky row of bones.  Another vertical cut on the other side, remove the row of bones and throw it away. this results in 2 pieces per side for the ling, but I'm usually cooking smaller peices anysway for F & C or tacos.

Allen

Thanks - I suppose it crossed my mind to do that, just thought it might not work and I'd have fish burger.

Ditto what Scallen said. 

I like Allen's way of filleting lingcod. A little is wasted but it seems unavoidable if you are going for fillets and not cooking the fish whole.

FF

I took the filets and did it Allen's way and very little was lost - not nearly as much as is attached to the usual rib bones on rockies when they are cut off - maybe I need a tip on how to do that without so much waste- if I try to cut at an angle, even with my flexible filet knife, I don't get all the ribs.  However, the lady who shows up at the fish cleaning station with the gulls and yellowjackets doesn't mind if I leave lots of pieces of meat for her soup.
  Someone know of a reference that shows ling bone structure, and while you're at it, one that shows where a halibut's brain is?

If I want boneless meat, I'll do like allen suggested. Learned this trick from cleaning so many cabezon...and their rib bones are way gnarlier than lings.
But if I am going to steam, BBQ, bake, or broil...I just leave the row of rib bones in there and pick them out after cooking. Although my favorite way to cook RF is to deep fry boneless skinless chunks of meat..for fiiish tacos!

PK

I agree cabbies are gnarly.  I'm always kind of bummed once I fillet a cabezone.  so little meat for that big-headed fish.

Love to eat 'em, though!

Allen

Tom,

You can try using a needle nose pilers after you fillet it.  You try to feel for the little bones with your finger.  This it the way the chefs do the boneless salmon fillets. 

Ken kickfish

Tom,

You can try using a needle nose pilers after you fillet it.  You try to feel for the little bones with your finger.  This it the way the chefs do the boneless salmon fillets. 

Ken kickfish

Ken

That is exactly what pro chefs do. You can split the fillet to remove the bones but depending on the preparation that may not be desired. for fish tacos I spit the fillet, but or grilling, smoking or steaming I use a stainless steel hemostat to pull the bones out.

Scott

I should've taken pics of what our nanny did to some of the fish I brought home

She starts by hacking them into unrecognizable shapes then makes soup with it  that has big chunks of pork meat and bones

Then the fish is a big pile of bones, skin, etc in a bowl that I pick up from the table and take out and bury in the backyard

I've pulled those "pin bones" out of salmon, now I need to catch another ling to try it on them. 
The lady (She gets the benefit of the doubt with a cleaver in her hand.) at the fish cleaning station first whacks up the skin into pieces for her soup.