How to Remove the Skin and Scales from Sole

1. 1

   Here is how a sole looks from the front and back.

2. 2

   The skin is removed from the front side (photo top), and scales taken off the back side (photo bottom).

3. 3

   Scrape the scales off the bottom side of the fish with the back of a knife.

4. 4

   If the sole is big, a lot of hard scales will come off!

5. 5

   Once the scales have been removed, cut around the head where there is a shallow depression.

6. 6

   Leave the skin on the other side intact, so that the head is still attached by that skin.

7. 7

   This is how it looks from the side.

8. 8

   Hold onto the head that was cut in Step 4, push out the guts, and peel off the skin in one go.

9. 9

   Peel off the skin like this up to the tail, as shown in the Step 8 photo.

10. 10

    Rinse the skinned fish quickly and it's done.

11. 11

    Sprinkle with some sake to remove the fishy odor.

12. 12

    Bonus: I marinated half of the fish in shio koji and froze it.

No additional tips available.