Yellowstripe Scad

Often sold as Yellowstrip Trevally or Salay Salay in Philippine markets at a length of around 6 inches, this can be a problem fish to eat becauss of numerous tiny bones and fins, all hard and pointy. Nontheless, it can be eaten and enjoyed if you do it right.

I prefer to prepare these fish headless as shown to the left and deep fry them. Deep frying turns the annoying rib bones crunchy and harmless which pan frying and steaming will not do.

1. The easiest way to clean this fish is to snip off the keel with your kitchen shears, make a cut around the collar on both sieds and cut through the spine with your shears. It doesn't draw as completely as some fish when you pull off the head but what's left is easily pushed out with your little finger.
2. Next, cook the fish. I prefer deep frying because it crisps the rib bones and you don't have to worry about them. Once cooked, use an appropriate tool (a small knife blade or pointy chopstick will work) and pry the fins away from the fish, top and bottom.
3. The fish can now be eaten without too much attention. The remaining bones all stay together as one piece.

Another way is to eat the fish as fried. This takes more skill and attention but isn't too hard, particularly if you're expert with Japanese style (pointy) chopsticks.

The fish can be treated similarly if steamed (head-on or head-off) though steamed it's a bit ugly and you have to watch the rib bones - there aren't many but they're still hard, tiny and sharp.