As New Zealanders, there are a few outdoorsy things that we’re almost expected to understand. How to change a tyre, how to put up a tent in the howling rain and how to fillet a fish are just a few of them. Helping you to nail one of the three, here we present a simple step-by-step guide to prepping your catch of the day.

Step One
Chop the head off, just behind the gills. Slice the fish open by inserting your knife into the belly until it meets the spine and then running the blade down to the tail.

Step Two
Firmly grip the fish and cut the first fillet off by running your blade along the backbone from head to tail.

Step Three
Cut the fillet off at the tail. If you wish to remove the skin, lay the fillet skin-side-down, make an incision by the tail end and carefully run your knife away from yourself, between the flesh and the skin, pulling the fillet towards you as you go.

Step Four
Remove any remaining pin bones with tweezers.