Methods and apparatus for processing fish and other products
Methods and apparatus for providing a fillet of generally uniform thickness. In one embodiment, a method includes providing a fish fillet having a loin portion and a belly portion, cutting the loin portion to provide a butterflied portion that remains attached to the loin portion, lifting the attached butterflied portion, and manipulating the attached butterflied portion over to the belly portion to provide a fillet having a generally uniform thickness across the fillet. In another embodiment, a fish fillet includes a generally uniform thickness across the fillet.
1. A method, comprising:
providing a fish fillet having a loin portion and a belly portion;
cutting the loin portion to provide a butterflied portion that remains attached to the loin portion;
lifting the attached butterflied portion; and
manipulating the attached butterflied portion over to the belly portion to provide a fillet having a generally uniform thickness across the fillet.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further including manipulating the fillet to remove a V-cut separating the loin portion and the belly portion.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the fillet is a Tilapia fillet.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the thickness is less than about 0.5 inch.
5. The method according to claim 1 , further including freezing the fillet with the butterflied portion down.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further including making the cut in a direction toward the lateral line of the fillet.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the butterflied portion is about one-half of a difference in thickness between the loin portion and the belly portion.
8. A fillet processes in accordance with claim 1 .
9. A fillet processed in accordance with claim 7 .
10. A fish fillet, comprising
a loin portion having a loin thickness and a belly portion having a belly thickness; and
a butterflied portion cut from the loin portion and folded over to the belly portion of the fillet so as to provide a generally uniform thickness across the fillet.
11. The fillet according to claim 10 , wherein the fillet is a Tilapia fillet.
12. The fillet according to claim 11 , wherein the uniform thickness across the fillet is less than about 0.5 inch.
13. The fillet according to claim 10 , wherein the loin portion and the belly portion abut along the length of the fish to remove a v-cut in the fillet.
14. The fillet according to claim 10 , further including a tray on which the fillet is placed with the butterflied portion adjacent the tray.
15. The fillet according to claim 10 , wherein the fillet is frozen.