Cuts

Fish — Fabrication & Breakdown

Salmon Breakdown — Collar, Loin, Belly & Tail Portioning

Also: whole salmon fabrication, salmon butchery, salmon breakdown

The full fabrication of a whole salmon into collar, belly strip, loin portions, and tail, each destined for its ideal preparation.

Whole salmon breakdown is the systematic disassembly of a fresh salmon carcass into its principal sections — collar (pectoral girdle), belly flap, pin-bone loin, and tail — maximising yield and matching each part to the cooking method it best suits. A well-executed breakdown produces zero waste: frames and heads go to stock, skin to chips, belly fat to gravlax or sashimi.

In photos

Salmon Breakdown — Collar, Loin, Belly & Tail Portioning in its raw whole-cut form on a butcher's board — Whole salmon breakdown is the systematic disassembly of a fresh salmon carcass into its principal sections — collar (pectoral girdle), belly flap, pin-bone loin, and tail — maximising yield and match… Identifying traits: Collar yields intensely flavourful, collagen-rich meat that bastes itself during roasting or grilling, Belly strip carries the highest fat content and is the preferred cut for gravlax, sashimi, and hot-smoking, Dorsal loin portions are the industry-standard 'salmon fillet' — consistent thickness ideal for pan-searing and poaching.
Salmon Breakdown — Collar, Loin, Belly & Tail Portioning in its raw whole-cut form on a butcher's board — Whole salmon breakdown is the systematic disassembly of a fresh salmon carcass into its principal sections — collar (pectoral girdle), belly flap, pin-bone loin, and tail — maximising yield and match… Identifying traits: Collar yields intensely flavourful, collagen-rich meat that bastes itself during roasting or grilling, Belly strip carries the highest fat content and is the preferred cut for gravlax, sashimi, and hot-smoking, Dorsal loin portions are the industry-standard 'salmon fillet' — consistent thickness ideal for pan-searing and poaching.
Where the salmon breakdown — collar, loin, belly & tail portioning lives on the source. Atlantic or Pacific salmon (Salmo salar or Oncorhynchus spp.
Where the salmon breakdown — collar, loin, belly & tail portioning lives on the source. Atlantic or Pacific salmon (Salmo salar or Oncorhynchus spp.
Salmon Breakdown — Collar, Loin, Belly & Tail Portioning prepared the canonical way — Gravlax. Lay the whole salmon on a cutting board, head right. Make a deep cut behind the pectoral fin to free the collar, angling toward the backbone; sever cleanly with a single decisive stroke.
Salmon Breakdown — Collar, Loin, Belly & Tail Portioning prepared the canonical way — Gravlax. Lay the whole salmon on a cutting board, head right. Make a deep cut behind the pectoral fin to free the collar, angling toward the backbone; sever cleanly with a single decisive stroke.

Where it comes from

Atlantic or Pacific salmon (Salmo salar or Oncorhynchus spp.); the collar sits just behind the gills where the pectoral fins attach; the belly runs below the lateral line from collar to anal fin; the loin occupies the dorsal flesh from shoulder to tail; the tail section begins where the body narrows past the anal fin.

Collar yields intensely flavourful, collagen-rich meat that bastes itself during roasting or grillingBelly strip carries the highest fat content and is the preferred cut for gravlax, sashimi, and hot-smokingDorsal loin portions are the industry-standard 'salmon fillet' — consistent thickness ideal for pan-searing and poachingPin bones run diagonally through the centre of the loin and must be pulled with tweezers or needle-nose pliersTail section cooks faster due to thinness; best suited to en papillote, quick roasting, or fish cakesSkin-on fabrication retains moisture and structure during cooking; skin-off suited to cure or raw preparations

Best for

Collar: yakitori-style grilling (kama-yaki), roasting, braisingBelly: gravlax, sashimi, hot-smoking, confitLoin portions: pan-searing, poaching, steaming, sous videTail: en papillote, fish cakes, stock enrichment

How to cook it

  1. 1Lay the whole salmon on a cutting board, head right. Make a deep cut behind the pectoral fin to free the collar, angling toward the backbone; sever cleanly with a single decisive stroke.
  2. 2Run a flexible filleting knife along the spine from collar to tail, hugging the backbone to maximise yield; repeat on the other side.
  3. 3With fillets skin-side down, locate the belly flap below the lateral line and slice it free — a thin strip of fat-marbled flesh 3–4 cm wide running the length of the fillet.
  4. 4Feel for pin bones with your fingertips along the centre of each loin fillet; pull each bone out in the direction it lies (slightly angled toward the head) using needle-nose pliers.
  5. 5Portion the loin into 140–180 g serving pieces by pressing down with the knife at a 90° angle for steaks or a slight bias for presentation portions.
  6. 6Reserve all bones, head, and skin for stock; simmer gently with aromatics for no more than 25 minutes to avoid bitterness.

Prep & butchery

  • Scale the fish before fabrication unless skin will be removed entirely
  • Keep the fish as cold as possible (near 0 °C) throughout; warm fish tears during filleting
  • A flexible 25–30 cm filleting knife is essential; a stiff blade will pull away from the bone on the belly curve
  • Use a fish tweezers or small needle-nose pliers for pin-bone removal — never a standard kitchen tweezer, which crushes the bone instead of gripping
  • For gravlax or sashimi cuts from the belly, leave the skin on for curing and remove it after

Substitutes

  • Arctic char breakdown

    Near-identical anatomy and fat distribution; all techniques transfer directly

  • Large trout breakdown

    Smaller fish — same sequence but thinner belly flap and proportionally larger tail section

Related cuts

Appears in

GravlaxSalmon sashimiSmoked salmonPan-seared salmon with lentilsSalmon en papilloteSalmon kama-yaki

References

  1. 1.The Professional Chef, 9th ed. — Culinary Institute of America (Wiley, 2011)
  2. 2.Fish & Shellfish — James Peterson (William Morrow, 1996)
  3. 3.On Food and Cooking — Harold McGee (Scribner, 2004)

Confidence: high

Notes

Gravlax vs. hot-smoke cuts

Gravlax demands the belly strip or a skin-on loin fillet of uniform thickness; fat content is critical to the salt-sugar cure penetrating slowly and evenly. Hot-smoking tolerates leaner tail and loin sections but benefits greatly from a belly piece laid over the top to self-baste during the smoke. The collar is best treated as its own preparation — grilled or roasted whole — rather than being incorporated into either cure or smoke.

Yield expectations

A skilled fabricator should achieve 55–60% dressed yield from a whole head-on, gutted salmon. Collar accounts for roughly 8% of that yield, belly strip 10–12%, loin portions 55–60%, and tail 10–12%. Bones, skin, and trim should be considered a yield category in their own right for stock production.