Yellowtail Amberjack

This is a medium and dark meat fish with a distinct flavor about the same intensity as Pacific Sierra so it's not a fish for those who want "fish lite". The flesh becomes quite firm when baked, steamed or poached, though it easily broken into large flakes.

Scales are tiny and easy to scrape off. This fish is extremely easy to fillet. The rib cage is long but don't even try to follow the bones with your filleting knife. Before starting to fillet just reach into the fish and pull all the ribs out of the flesh and cut them from the spine with kitchen shears - then they'll be no bother at all. Once you have the fillets free you'll find some additional bones down the centerline for the first couple of inches so pull them too.

The 7.44 pound fish in the photo yielded 4.3 pounds of skin-on fillet (58%). 4.0 pounds skin-off (54%). The skin has almost no shrink when fried but the fillets are easy to skin IF you split them lengwise along the centerline. Even if your knife is long enough they're a bit difficult to handle full width. Splitting down the middle gives you more manageable fillets anyway.

Of couse, right behind the head is the famous "yellowtail collar" which is oiled and broiled and sold at a high price in sushi bars. This can be a special treat for the cook. The head, bones, fins and skin made a stock that was quite clear and mild with moderate oil - excellent for soup once the oil is separated off.