There’s nothing like biting into a firm and decadent piece of fish. No other food can replicate the flavor, texture, or the health benefits! Because of this, chowing down on some delicious seafood like salmon, tuna, or cod is a real mealtime delicacy.
But, what if you bite down on a pin bone? Pin bones aren’t actually bones at all, but calcified nerve endings that can be rather sharp. Yikes! Those little spines can puncture your tongue or gums and quickly turn a fancy dinner into a really unpleasant experience. No one wants that!
Luckily, you can prepare for this and even avoid it next time, because removing fish bones is pretty easy. The pin bones can be a little trickier than the backbone and ribs, but there’s no need to worry. We’ve got you covered!
Today, we’re going to walk you through how to remove pin bones from a salmon filet. We’ll make sure you have all the information you need to make your filets totally bone free and safe to eat. You won’t be getting pin bone pokes to the cheek ever again after reading this thorough step-by-step guide.
How to Remove Fish Pin Bones
What You Will Need
First up, let’s list what you’ll need! Luckily, there are only two tools you need to remove pin bones. But, let’s discuss each:
- Cutting Board: You’ll need a clean surface to remove your pin bones. So, find a large cutting board big enough to hold your whole filet and your tool. We even recommend buying a fish mat with special grooves to keep those slippery fish in place.
- Bone Tweezers: Bone tweezers will be what you use to pull the pin bones from the flesh without damaging the meat. If you don’t have bone tweezers, you can also use needle nose pliers. (Just make sure they’re clean).
Instructions
Now that you have your tools, let’s get into how you remove those pin bones!
Step One
First, take your filet and lay it on your clean cutting board skin side down.
Step Two
Second, locate each part of the salmon. The tail is an easy part to find. Next to that is the loin, which is the thick middle piece of the filet. Finally, the part closest to the head is the collar. Most of the pin bones will be in the collar and loin.
Step Three
Next, check for pin bones. Do this by lightly running your finger against the grain of the fish. You’ll feel the little bumps and see small white protrusions. If there are no pin bones in the tail, go ahead and set it aside.
Step Four
Finally, take your pair of tweezers and your free hand, and remove the pin bones. Do this by gently holding the salmon, grabbing the bone with the tweezers, and then carefully removing it. You want to keep your fingers on the flesh of the salmon to avoid tearing it while you remove the splinters.
Step Five
Double check the fish for pin bones by repeating steps three and four. If there are no more bones, dispose of the pin bones, cook your salmon, and serve!
Does Oshēn Salmon Have Bones
Both our fresh and frozen salmon filets are totally free of bones! We remove those pesky pin bones for you, so you can get right to cooking. But, bone-free is not the only reason our salmon filets are the best out there.
Oshēn Salmon has delicious and nutritious salmon filets that are shipped directly to your door. Our salmon is ocean-farmed and sustainability and quality are our highest priorities. We’re BAP, ASC, BRC, and Kosher certified. And, all of our salmon are free from growth hormones and dyes!
All this means that our salmon is great for the environment, your body, and your tastebuds! There will be no buyer’s remorse when it comes to purchasing our fish filets. You can check out our salmon here and use code FRESH at checkout for 15% off your first order. We know that once you get a taste of the freshest and tastiest salmon on the market, you’ll be back for more! And when you’re ready to cook, check out our blog for tons of amazing recipes and preparation ideas.
Pin bones can be tricky, but with just a couple tools and some patience, you can have safe, deboned salmon in no time!
Pin bones can make eating salmon intimidating. But, don’t be deterred by these pesky spines of calcified nerves. Removing pin bones is easy and the benefits of eating salmon (not to mention the taste) make the effort well worth it! Still, if you don’t want to mess with the tedious process of removing the bones, try Oshēn’s bone free salmon filets! Our direct to consumer fish filets are the perfect way to incorporate hassle free salmon into your everyday diet. Now, let’s chow down!