John Myers
Somehow bones are always annoying when you want to prepare and enjoy fish. It’s a good thing that there are also fish with little or no bones. As well as those where the bones are particularly easy to remove or can even be eaten. We’ll show you 30 fish where you don’t care much about bones and we’ll also tell you which species tend to have a lot of bones.
Virtually boneless
Fish freshly bought from the fishmonger is always delicious – whether from the pan or from the grill. But what about the bones, which are really a big bogeyman for many? No fish is completely boneless, as all bony fish, including river fish and most edible sea fish, contain bones.
But there are some varieties that are “practically boneless”. This means that the fish has only a few bones that are easily recognizable and easy to remove. With some fish, the bones can even be eaten without worrying, as they are very fine and fall apart when chewed. So nothing stands in the way of enjoyment if you choose one of the fish from our list!
Tip: It happened and despite all caution, you or one of your blackheads swallowed a bone? If a strong cough doesn’t help, the bone has to be made to slip in a different way: A tablespoon of olive oil, some soggy bread, or a piece of unchewed potato usually leads to the desired result.
Fish with few bones
Sure, you can of course also use baked fish – with these products you can really rely on the fact that they are completely boneless. But who always wants that? The following fish have few bones, which are also quick and difficult to remove after preparation:
- halibut
- Salmon
- tuna
- monkfish
- loach
- swordfish
- victoria perch
- catfish
- sea bass
Easily recognizable bones
These fish not only have a few bones but bones that are easily recognizable at first glance, which can be removed along the back line with the middle bone. It is best to use tweezers for any remaining bones.
- cod
- Pangasius
- Red Snapper
- redfish
- coalfish
- swordfish
Fish with easily removable bones
As always, practice makes perfect, but these fish are really easy to debone:
- eel
- sea bream
- Trout/Salmon Trout
- mackerel
- char
- haddock
- plaice
- sole
- turbot
Fish with edible bones
How cool is that – a fish where you can eat the bones? Yes, there really is. Some species have such delicate bones that they are completely safe to eat. These bones crumble in your mouth and you won’t even feel them when chewing.
- fried herring
- Matjes
- rollmops
- anchovies
- sardines
- sprats
Many of these fish are preserved in cans or jars and therefore have different shelf lives. Matjes, however, is available fresh from the fishmonger or at the fish counter in the supermarket – you should definitely try the tender, delicious fish.
Popular, but boned
Some fish are very popular to eat, but they really have a lot of bones, which are not always that easy to remove. You should be extremely careful when removing the bones of the following fish and also be careful when eating to avoid swallowing any bones:
- pike
- herring
- carp
- red mullet
- walleye
Tip: If you would like to prepare fish like the popular zander, but are concerned about whether you can really remove the bones completely, we recommend that you go to the fishmonger for fillets that have already been boned, so-called loins. Even filleted frozen goods from the supermarket no longer have any bones. Incidentally, fish is also often eaten with pleasure by children.
