ALL ABOUT CLEANING TROUT

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CATCH FOR THE PAN, OVEN OR OTHER COOKING METHODS

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

Summer is here, and with it comes the trout fishing season. Trout are mild to the taste, which is one reason so many people enjoy eating them.

If you’re new to trout fishing, know that there are many ways to clean trout and even more ways to cook them. Keep in mind that how you cook trout often comes down to how you clean them, so plan ahead.

First Things First

To get the most from your trout, deliver a quick blow to the top of the head between the eyes. Immediately break a couple gill rakes to bleed out the fish; if in a boat, hold the trout over the water to do this.

Once bled, place trout in a cooler with ice to chill as soon as possible. Don’t try to keep the fish alive on a stringer, as it stresses them and compromises the overall meat quality.

Some folks like cooking trout with the scales on, and some like scaling them. Scaling a trout can be done with a knife, but a quick and easy way is with a garden hose. Line up your trout in the grass –heads facing away – and use the jet of the nozzle to remove the scales. It’s quick and easy, and cleans the fish of slime, too.