Ok, so you’ve reached your limit. Now, how do you want them prepared for cooking? How about trying my favorite – steak! No bones, no skin, just good meat that can be cooked however you like. I can taste it now! You don’t know how, you say? It’s not difficult but it takes practice. Easy to follow instructions are below.

Instruments

The first step is to gather all your tools. Also have a waist-high table as a work surface. The tools you will need are a very sharp knife or an electric knife. The best knife to use is a fillet knife. Since a fillet knife is made just for this purpose, it helps make the job easier.

You’ll also need a filleting board, preferably one with a strong clamp to securely hold the trout’s head. If you can’t find a board with a clamp, get a pair of textured gloves to grab onto.

You will need a bucket or pan of salted water to put the fresh trout fillets into.

Advice: soaking the fillets in lightly salted water overnight helps remove some of the fishy flavor, giving them a smoother, more pleasant flavor.

The last thing you’ll need is a bucket to put the carcasses in after you cut the steak.

Steak: the heart of the matter

To begin the process of cutting the fillets, you need to secure the trout so it doesn’t slide around. If using a board with a clamp, firmly clamp the trout’s head to the board. If you wear gloves, keep a firm grip on the trout’s head. Next, take your knife and cut below the gills to the spine. Now turn the knife around and cut through the backbone, but stop before cutting through the tail skin. This entire cut will be between the rib cage and the meat. You are basically cutting off the entire flank of the trout. Next, flip the fillet skin-side down. Cut between the meat and the skin. The process is the same for the other side of the trout. After you have cut both fillets from the trout, cut off any part of the ribcage that may have been cut by the fillet. This is all you need to do when it comes to deboning the trout when filleting it. It’s okay to cut through the rib cage, but don’t cut too deep and cut into the guts. Remember, these fish have not been gutted!

Now that you know how to fillet trout, you also know how to fillet fish in general. It’s the same no matter what kind of fish it is.

All the trout are now filleted and you are ready to cook them. So how do you like them cooked, battered, baked, broiled, or grilled? Personally, I like it better grilled. If you’re going to grill them, don’t forget to invite me. I’ll bring the corn on the cob.