After a long day of fishing, one of the best rewards is cooking up your daily catch. However, before you can enjoy your meal, you have to prepare your fish. One of the most tedious tasks when cooking fish is removing the scales. With the best fish scaler, you can make descaling your fish fast and easy.
There are various fish scaling tools available on the market and you will have to decide which model best suit your needs. With electric and hand fish scalers, you can choose the perfect gadget to speed up your time spent in meal prep.
OUR TOP PICK
Yamasho Brass
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Durable and lightweight construction
- No batteries necessary
- Ergonomic wooden handle
- Brass material is hygienic and easy to clean
Length: 8.1 inches
Weight: 1.76 ounces
Materials: Wood and brass
Color: Brass
Best For: All types of fish, professional chefs
EDITORS CHOICE
COPORA Stainless Steel Brush
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Effortlessly lifts and scrapes away scales
- Stainless-steel is food grade safe
- Hollow handle catches scales to keep your kitchen tidy
- Perfect for small or medium sized fish
Length: 10 inches
Weight: 1.58 ounces
Material: Stainless-steel
Color: Silver
Best For: Small or medium sized fish
BEST VALUE
UpdateClassic Stainless Steel Sawtooth
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Won’t bend or break
- Lightweight and outfitted with an ergonomic handle
- Non-slip grip helps prevent accidents
- Constructed of food safe stainless-steel
Length: 7 inches
Weight: 0.1 pounds
Material: Stainless-steel
Color: Silver
Best For: Large fish
Kwizing Extra Large Brass Serrated
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Oversized brush is great for crappie or bluegill fish
- Can be used to remove scales in hard to reach areas
- Comfortable to hold for extended periods
- No-fly zone helps catch loose scales and makes the brush easy to clean
Length: 8.1 inches
Weight: 3.6 ounces
Materials: Brash and wood
Color: Brass
Best For: Bluegill and crappie fish
Tackle Factory Big Norm Magic Fish Scaler
- What Makes This Fish Scaler Stand Out
- Free floating fingers trap removed scales to stop messes in the kitchen
- Easy to scrub away hard scales
- Ideal for big fish like salmon
- Food safe and long-lasting design
Length: 3.2 inches
Weight: 0.352 ounces
Materials: Metal and plastic
Color: Black
Best For: Salmon and other large sized fish
Comfecto Firm Grip
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Completely removes any scales with a few strokes
- Won’t tear the skin
- Easy to rinse off and clean
- Food safe and ideal for fresh or saltwater locations
Length: 7.5 inches
Weight: 1.4 ounces
Material: Stainless-steel
Color: Silver
Best For: Fresh or saltwater fish
Amison Fast Peeling
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Fine saw teeth and a tapered design won’t damage the fish meat
- Can be used to remove big and small scales
- High polished finish is attractive
- Hook on the end of handle makes it easy to store
Length: 8.07 inches
Weight: 2.82 ounces
Material: Stainless-steel
Color: Silver
Best For: Small, medium or large fish
Winco Peeler
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Convenient and fast way to prep your fish
- Aggressive teeth easily remove scales from the skin
- Great for medium or large sized fish
- Stainless-steel construction is extra-strong
Length: 9.5 inches
Weight: 1.6 ounces
Material: Stainless-steel
Color: Silver
Best For: Medium or large fish
Speder Powerful Cordless Electric
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Compact and handheld design includes a powerful motor
- Take it on any trip and use it in your camp kitchen
- Rechargeable device
- Comfortable grip and made of high-quality materials
Length: 12 inches
Weight: 1.32 pounds
Materials: ABS plastic and stainless-steel
Color: Orange
Best For: All types and sizes of fish
MQUPIN Multi-Functional
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Designed like a peeler to quickly clean your catch
- Built-in cover keeps kitchens clean and protects your fingers
- Foldable handle is ultra-compact
- Lightweight and easy to clean
Length: 6.6 inches
Weight: 0.06 kilograms
Material: ABS plastic
Colors: White, Blue, or Green
Best For: All types of fish
How To Choose A Fish Scaler – Buying Guide
Material
When you’re looking for the best fish scaler, you want to find a design that has been made of high-quality materials. Whether you’re looking for a top rated electric fish scaler or a hand fish scaler, the materials should always provide you with a quality performance.
Most fish scaling tools will be made of metal or plastic. Brass is a strong material that is safe in the kitchen and it is resistant to rust. However, the most popular material, by far, is stainless steel. Many camping kitchens and indoor kitchens favor stainless steel over other materials because it is easy to clean and can be made food safe.
Plastic is another popular material used in hand fish scalers because it is lightweight and durable. The best electric fish scaler will likely use a hardened plastic in the handle to give you a strong base and solid grip. Plastic is also easy to clean and like stainless-steel, it is completely food safe.
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Size
The size of your fish scaler will determine how best to use the scaler and with what types of fish it can successfully remove the scales from the skin. A fish scaler for small fish will need fine teeth or knobs to remove the delicate scales without causing damage to the meat. However, a small sized hand fish scaler would make it tedious to remove scales on a larger fish.
For this reason, there are medium and large sized fish descaling tools too. Just like a fish scaler for small fish can be used on fine scales, a larger scaler should only be used on big scales.
Fish scaler reviews can also help you determine the size of the scaler and give you pointers on how it is best used to clean your fish. Many reviewers will also comment about whether the scaler is appropriate for small, medium, or large fish.
Ease of Use
Removing fish scales is a tedious task and the best fish scaler should make your job easier not harder. While many fishermen use fishing knives, a scaler is safer to use and more efficient. This is why it is important that you find a fish scale remover that is easy to use and handle. Hand fish scalers are convenient because they can be used anywhere and don’t require the use of batteries. However, the best electric fish scaler will make it easy to remove scales because it does the hard work for you. You will have to decide which design will suit your needs.
FAQs
Q: What Is The Easiest Way To Scale Fish?
The easiest way to clean a fish is to grasp it by the tail with a firm grip. You can then take your fish scaling tool and run it from the tail to the head of the fish in a stroking motion. The teeth or knobs of the scaler should catch against the scales and pull them off as you continue moving the scaler along the fish’s body. You must remember to remove all the scales from the fish, including in difficult to reach areas around the fins, belly, and head. After you have removed all of the scales, you should thoroughly wash your fish.
Q: How Do You Scale A Fish Without Making A Mess?
The best fish scaler will have built in grooves or a shield to catch the scales, but sometimes they may fly up and into your sink. A few ways that you can scale a fish without making a mess is to scale your fish in a plastic bag or under water. By placing your fish in a large plastic bag, the scales are more likely to fly into the bag, which makes cleaning up easier. You can also scale your fish in a bowl or bucket of water, which prevents the scales from flying all over your kitchen.
Q: What Is A Fish Scaler?
A fish scaler is a tool that has been specially designed to help you easily and efficiently remove the scales from a fish. The best electric fish scaler will do the hard work for you by quickly stripping away the scales with minimal effort. However, the downside is having to recharge the device. Most fishermen prefer a hand fish scaler because it is more convenient to take everywhere and doesn’t require batteries.
Q: Is It Necessary To Scale A Fish?
No, but you probably won’t like eating your fish if you’ve kept the scales on the skin. While some chefs choose to leave the scales on and remove them once the fish has been cooked, it is far more convenient to clean the fish and remove the scales before you cook the meat. If you are cooking a dish like fish soup, it is very important to remove the scales to ensure that they don’t make your dish inedible.
Q: What Happens If You Don’t Scale A Fish?
When you don’t descale a fish, it makes it harder to eat your meal as you have to work around the scales to get to the meat. While fish scales are edible and safe for adults to eat, it isn’t the most pleasant dining experience to chew on hard scales. While you may choose to leave the scales on when cooking panfish, most people choose not to eat them. For convenience, it is better to remove the scales, so that you have a nicely finished dish that is free from tough scales.
Globo Surf Overview
With the best fish scaler at your fingertips, preparing fish has never been so easy. For all the chefs who want to enjoy their meal, but hate the prepping process, a fish scaler will help you cook the perfect dish by removing the hard scales. With just a few strokes of the scaler, you can turn your hard earned catch into a fish cookbook masterpiece.