# Best Way To Fillet A Trout



## rockymtn_views (Oct 5, 2007)

What is the best way to fillet a trout. I have struggled with this one as I try to fillet them after cleaning and I can get the first set of bone but then I have th second set and either I destroy a lot of meat or just end up cutting the rest of the bones through the meat. So maybe I am doing this wrong, so maybe the question should really be how do you fillet a trout where you get the most meat and no bones? I have heard you can go through the back which eliminates the need to clean the trout but haven't figured that one out. So if anyone has any suggestions or even a links to online tutorials that I could look at on how to do this that would be awesome.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I like trout, but I hate picking bones out of my mouth while eating. 

To fillet a trout I first gut it, then rinse it. Then I use one paper towel to grab the head and then pull downward and back to pull all skin off. I use another paper towel to grab onto the flesh of the fish as I skin it and then cut the skin off at the tail. Pull off any remaining fins. I then place the skinned fish on a cutting board. With a good sharp fillet knife, and run it down the line on top of the fish's back, keeping the knife against the bones to peel off the fillet on the up side. This cuts through and leave the "wing" bones (second set you refer to) in the fillet. Flip the fish over and do the same to the other side. Now to remove the wing bones (the line of bones which run into the fillet) place the fillet on the cutting board with the cut side up and feel for the line of wing bones. Line them up straight, then cut close to them, top of fillet first. The knife should be on a slight angle because the bones seem to lay on a slight angle. Then cut them away from the other side on the fillet. The wing bones only run through about 2/3 of the fillet. Removing the wing bones looses very little meat. Then for cooking, I cut off the long top piece, the lower belly piece, which leaves me with the tail piece. Larger trout may be cut into even more pieces. Then I coat it in flour, corn meal and seasonings and fry it fast in a little Canola oil. I have baked them in a little butter also, but I prefer it on the dry side than moist. 

This may sound difficult, but it is very easy and a whole trout can be done in 5-6 minutes after practice. Yeah, a guy can throw the whole gutted trout in the pan and pull most of the bones out after cooking, but he will still be reaching in amongst the chewed flesh to find those few little bones which remained. A properly filleted trout is hard to beat. 

I don't know if that helped, but I am sitting here bored, so take it for what it is worth.


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## metal_fish (Mar 19, 2008)

Cleaning the trout will be less messy, so you dont have guts spillin out idk? But i have been wondering this myself thanks for the info! Time to keep a few planters to practice on!


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

This is how I do it:

Turn the fish on its side. Make a cut just behind the head. Then slice the meat off the bones down to the tail, making sure you don't cut the skin off the tail, leave it attached. Flip that over, and slice the meat off the skin. Flip the fish over and repeat. There may be some of the ribs still attached, so you may have to slice those off as well. I find no need to gut, clean, pull the skin off, or anything else. If your fillet knife is sharp, none of those steps are necessary. This is the same way I do perch, bass, bluegill, walleye, wipers, etc.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I highly recommend a fillet board with a sturdy clamp. I clamp the fish's snout and cut away from the clamp. It works very well. Also for removing the skin, the clamp is invaluable. Next time I go meat fishing, I will take pictures of the way I fillet. I am self-taught, but I eventually get all of the bones out and leave only delicious pink meat. Trout fillets....yummmy!


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I am kind of particular with how I treat things I am going to eat, so keep that in mind.

I gut the fish because it is less mess with the guts and makes them easy to skin before filleting. I know most guys fillet with the skin on, but I hate getting the slime on what I am going to eat. By gutting and skinning there is no contamination. Also, there is no need to deal with slippery fish when filleting skinned fish. Skin-off is the secret to easy filleting. I am probably too careful, but the wife and kids enjoy the spoils. 

Of course there is more than one way to do it, mine just happens to be the best. :wink: (touch of sarcasm included)


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

I do this similar to Packout except that I use a sturdy set of tweezers or small needlenose pliers to pull out the pin bones. This way I lose no meat, and it's fast too. Just feel for the pin bones with your fingertip, then pluck them.


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

I was always taught to cook the fish whole and pull the bones out after the fish is cooked. I can usulally get 99% of the bones out. There is a stray once in a while. Last year an in-law show me how to fillet using a board, Using a method closest to Dunn gary's. I stll prefer to cook mine whole but there is something to the hole fillet thing. Having said all that. I have never had to deal with the wing bones you talk about here. When filleting a fish where are these located? Are they they located at the pectoral fins (don't know the technical name)? My wife prefers me to fillet hers and I would rather avoid giving her a "wingbone".


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

The wing or pin bones are those little ones which run away from the skeleton, into the meat.


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## 71nova (Jan 9, 2008)

This is the easiest way. but it hasn't worked for me since I forgot the "trick". first gut the fish cutting all the way to the tail, then it gets a little foggy(the trick). I think you cut the skin around the bakc of the fishes head( leave the front fins on) with two hands you can pull the head one way and the fins and skin one way and be holding a skeleton in one hand and skin and fillets in the other. I think that's the way it's done? I tried it after I first heard about it, it worked, but then I didn't go trout fishing for a while and mostly forgot. I've got a couple in the freezer, if I get one out to eat I'll try and then confirm my findings.


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## FishMogul (Sep 8, 2007)

The Best advice I can give is make sure you have a nice sharp Fillet knife. That way the knife does all the work, you just have to guide it in the right direction.


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