Sheefish in a pan

This article will cover all of the steps to prepare a sheefish dinner!  We were blessed in April 2023 to have a magical trip to Kotzebue, Alaska in which we caught sheefish and legally harvested a few and successfully got the fillets home and into the freezer.  With careful preparation, sheefish rank among the best-tasting fish there is, comparable to (but better than) halibut.  This article begins with cut fillets with ribs removed and covers trimming and pin bone removal, glazing, and finally, cooking.  All are important steps for success!

Please note that the fish we used were caught in saltwater in Kotzebue, Alaska.  It may well be that inland freshwater sheefish do not have the same taste even if prepared per this article.

Sheefish fillets have some big differences from other related species, and these differences are very important in the cooking process.  Here they are:

1. The scales are stuck to the skin like glue.  Other whitefish and many salmonid species have scales that are so loosely attached that a butter-knife can flip them off.  Not sheefish.  Their scales are very difficult to remove from the skin, and they do not readily separate while cooking, either.  This is important, as it makes the skin easier to peel off when required.
2. They have a large bloodline, much larger than other salmonids.  Their bloodline is comparable in thickness to catfish, and it has a fishy smell to it, stronger than catfish, even when fresh.  Trimming the entire bloodline is critical.  The meat without the bloodline is odorless.
3. Their pin bones are difficult to remove, even though their structure is the same as any other salmonid. 
4. Their meat is very soft, just like other whitefish species such as tullibee and lake whitefish.  Handling of pre-cooked fillets can easily damage them so care must be taken.

Here are some pictures of the sheefish that went into this article:

Walrus475 and I holding Sheefish in Kotzebue, Alaska

Sheefish fillets (partially thawed)

Step A – Trimming and pin bone removal.

Remove sheefish fillets from the freezer and place in refrigerator.  Allow them to partially thaw to the point where they still retain internal rigidity but are soft on the outside.  This is a relatively short interval of time but is very important.  Trimming and bone removal is much easier when still partially frozen as the meat will get damaged by handling if allowed to fully thaw.

The first step is to remove the pin bones.  I have never found a way to cleanly pull the bones out of the meat.  Both the bone and the ligament at the end are attached much more securely than in any salmonid I have ever processed.  They have to be peeled-out rather than plucked, which will tear the meat.