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Yup. How do you do it? I tried one time and it was so full of bones it wasn't worth it.
I learned the art of filleting fish with the Willard Bay Wipers and the Lake Powell Stripers, and all other "Bass family" types of fish, including perch, Walleye, LM and SM bass, etc. and whenever I keep one of those species to eat, out comes the fillet board and knife, and everything ends up good.
When I decide to keep and cook any trout however, I have always just gutted them, cut off the heads and thrown them on the BBQ in Tin foil.
My wife asked me the other day why I don't fillet the trout also? My reply was "I just don't". I would like to learn how to fillet a trout and get rid of the bones BEFORE cooking.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Randy
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Trout filleting is very similiar to filleting warmwater fish. However their body texture is much softer, thus you need a bit more care to do it properly.
Step 1......make a diagonal cut as close to the gill plate as possible.
Step 2.....using the tip of the knife, make a straight, lengthwise cut down the middle of the back, making sure that you keep ABOVE the backbone while simultaneously keeping as close to the bones as possible as to not waste any flesh. With trout it is much easier to mess up and get on the other side of the backbone......if this is the case, adjust back up accordingly. In this initial cut DO NOT cut more than and inch or two into the fish. Once this initial cut is made carefully work your way deeper to by making small cuts keep close to the bones. Eventually the whole fillet will peel off the backbone and rib cage off one side. Also start with the right side of the fish on top. However don't peel the entire fillet off one side. Leave it somewhat unfinished and begin the other side in a similar fashion. This will help support the fish to facilitate filleting the other side. Peel the left side off by making careful cuts and leave the skin attached to the tail. Next proceed to skin the fillet. Do the same on the other side.
3. The line of bones in the middle of the fillets should stick up out of the fillet when you use your finger to feel for them. Slice this entire strip out of each fillet. You now should have two boneless fillets.
Sorry if this may be a confusing explanation. It is much easier to visually demonstrate.
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[#505000]It can be done and it's not terribly difficult, but they taste so awful compared to other species that I don't know if it's worth the effort! [ ][/#505000]
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[#505000]Tubedude has a great write up with pictures on it that I'm sure he will post it or Kent will find the link to it.[/#505000]
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HA HA i found it before Kent...
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=235668#235668"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=235668#235668[/url]
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You found that link fast, so why not the Crappie?
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ouch that hurts[ ]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Another option, and this works particularly well on a little larger fish, is pulling the lateral bones out instead of cutting them out with a knife. You use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the lateral bones out of the fillet. When my wife buys salmon fillets or I bring home a trout that has bellied up, out come the s.s. needle nose pliers and she runs her finger along the bones and plucks each one out. It really doesn't take that long and you are able to keep a fillet in one piece. Just another suggestion on how to do it.[/size][/black][/font]
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I learned a method from an old lady several years back that works great and is fairly fast and easy, (larger trout are more difficult however) Take the fish, open belly side up and run hot tap water over it, take your thumbs and slide between the bones and meat and just slide them up towawd the tail then back down along the back bone with the water running over it the whole time. you can clean and filet a bunch of pan size fish in no time and never use a knife. (the hot water heats the bobes , turns them white and loosens then from the meat. Give it a try
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[cool]That's the way I do it. Works great! Thanks, T.D. for showing me how a couple years back...
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What do you mean open belly side up? Could you explain that again. I have reread it several times and i don't get
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As for trout I prefer to release...after which I throw the steak (beef) on the grill. Just don't have the taste for them. give me a gill, perch, or eye.
Filleting is a learned thing, practice makes perfect. I have read every book, magazine article, and forum post but I still hack the heck out of them... sharp knifes and patience are your best friends.
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If you want to taste trout, lick the slime off one and release it. Tastes just the same to me. I've had it every way but raw, throw it in the smoker and they're great for some reason[crazy]
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for standing guard and taking care of business.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kent and I were both fishing...together...so we did not see the post. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We are so blessed to have such a dedicated and effective mod on our boards.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry the Pineview fishies treated you so bad. Maybe karma will kick in next time.[/#0000ff]
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id reather catch no fish on a major body of water then resort to going to a community pond to catch fish[ ]
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This is the first chance I've had to try this out since I posted it a few weeks ago. Ended up with a couple of larger trout this weekend and decided to try out these techniques.
I don't have an electric knife and maybe that would have made a difference,not sure, but I have a question on the electric knife thing anyway:
I once had a fisherman tell me to never cut into the "guts" while filleting fish, as the internal body organ fluids get on the knife blade and could contaminate the meat. Hence, I was hesitant to cut off each slab completely, (as per TubeDudes instructions...) and that is another reason I massacred my two attempts this weekend.
First lesson I learned: Frozen trout DO NOT fillet well. I couldn't tell whether I was cutting through flesh or bone. later found out I was cutting through the bone. So I guess rule #1 should be: Make sure the fish is NOT frozen.
So anyway, here is how I did it. (Tubedude, this differs slightly from your instructions, based on my fear of cutting into the guts above...if you wouldn't mind posting your opinion on "contaminating" the meat? Maybe I'm just being anal about this.
1. I did cut just past the gills down to the backbone. Easy.
2. Starting at the top of the back, I cut down parallel to the backbone until I hit the ribcage. So far so good.
3. My fillet knife would not stay above the ribs, it kept cutting into them and would cut through them. (One of many problems) It is very sharp and I sharpen it very often and if you were to look under a magnifying glass, it is almost serrated...maybe that is the problem.
4. Laying the fillets down and cutting the meat off the skin went pretty well.
5. Once I did get the fillets off (and they were ugly) I could not pull the side bones (adipose?) out with pliers, each bone pulled out would take a chunk of meat with it. I ended up cutting the strips out.
In the end, from 2 fish, I ended up with about 10 fillet pieces, and most have at least a few bones in them. We are going to cook them tonight so I'll let you all know how it turned out.
I might just stick to filleting only the warm water species...or maybe I just need to follow the instructions better.
Randy
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I've always wondered about cutting through the guts too. I fillet trout and I've gotten better at it, but I still wonder about the guts.
As far as the ribcage, I don't even try to stay on top of them, I cut right through them and once I have taken the skin off I lay the fillet ribs side up and slice underneath them to take them off. Of course, doing so slices the guts, which I know is what you were trying to avoid.
Would be nice if someone could answer the "Is it ok to slice the gut?" question. Otherwise I guess you could gut the fish first, then fillet it, but that adds that much more work.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have been filleting fish recreationally and commercially for at least 4 decades. I have cut a lot of guts. Never noticed any problems with the fillets. Of course a big part of my routine is to either rinse off the fillets as I do them, or drop them in a big bowl of ice water as I finish them. That does two things...rinses off the blood and other bodily fluids and quick chills the fillets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Filleting is best done while the fish are either still alive or shortly thereafter. I usually do mine right out of the live basket. No PETA pain concerns with this kid. I want quality fish flesh and I don't give a rat's patootie about how the fish feel about it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]DO NOT fillet fish while they are stiffened with rigor mortis or when they are partially or completely frozen. A big part of GOOD filleting depends upon your feel with the knife blade and being able to guide the edge over the tops of the bones at the right angle. Cutting at the wrong angles "makes little ones out of big ones."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I prefer an electric fillet knife, but skill with a regular SHARP blade will let you fillet just as fast and effectively. Both require that you have good instruction and a lot of practice to be able to whack out a bunch of clean fillets, leaving little waste. It is all a matter of correctly applied force in the right direction...letting the knife do the cutting. A dull knife or poor technique smashes the fragile flesh of some fish...like trout...and turns it to mush.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Give me a call next time you have some trout to fillet and I will give you a personal demo. That should help explain it better tan a lot of words and pictures.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...about the only fish I sometimes "eviscerate" before filleting are large catfish. They have a lot of guts and filleting them is like butchering a hog. They also have a very large gall bladder and that bile inside is nasty stuff. It is what you do NOT want on your fish fillets. It is tough to rinse off so if you have a big fish with a big gall bladder, that is what you might wanna remove first. [/#0000ff]
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Just curious but do you gut a catfish the same as a trout? I have never done tis one before. When i was a boy i always did the trout and my dad or grand dad would handle the fillets form the kitties.
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[cool][#0000ff]For catfish up to about 10 pounds, I usually just fillet them. If they are bigger, or have a pronounced big belly, then I might open them up and remove the bulk of the innards before slabbing off the fillets. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]To "unzipper" the belly, position the fish either on its back or side. Some "cat men" hang bigguns from a hook to clean them. Use a small sharp blade and cut slowly and carefully up the belly, starting at the "anal vent". Once you get to the gills, reach in with the knife and cut loose the digestive tract at the head and at the bottom. All of the other internal organs are attached and you can remove the whole mess in one or two cuts.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For "average" size cats...under 5 pounds or so...I just let 'er rip with the fillet knife and don't worry about "gut pollution". In case you missed my post (and reposts) about [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]FILLETING CATFISH[/url], here is a link for you.[/#0000ff]
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No question in my mind, filleting fish effectively is learned through experience. In my younger years I would "gut" them. Now, I fillet everything. As others have said, fillet them as soon as you can. Also, I absolutely de-slime them and rinse them thoroughly.
I like to use a non-electric knife. Go to sportsmans and take a look at the Alaskan Knives. For about $25-30 you can purchase an oustanding knive.
No fish tastes better than fresh fish from Bear Lake; Mac's included.
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