Mark Brewer Tips: Simple Way to Prepare Trout Fillet

Trout dishes bring a smile on my face. I (Mark Brewer) just love them. On my fishing trips across New Zealand I have visited many rivers in search of these tasty trout fishes. At times I have gifted some fishes to my friends too. As far as I can remember, about a year back I gifted some fishes to Mr. Oak and the next day he came to me with a grumpy face. When I enquired why he looked so miserable, he said he had ruined all the fishes in an endeavor to make trout fillets. Making trout fillets is quite different from the technique used for other fishes. I had learned the art from one of my Forex trading friends Mr. David Jones. Now I can teach you the art of creating trout fillets effortlessly.

You will need a sharp knife and a cutting board. Lay the fish on the cutting board or hold the fish with its head pointing towards the sky. Use your knife and start cutting along the anus and reach up to the belly. Then cut your way up to the throat of this fish. Insert your knife within the fish’s tissue exactly where the trout’s gill should be placed (it is near the collarbone). Cut in an outward motion, that will be perpendicular to the belly. The direction of the cutting should be towards the head. Cut till the head is removed. Insert your hand into the opening and pull out all the entrails from the fishes’ body. Clean the meat in cold water till you feel the meat is completely clean. You may either use a spoon or your hands to scratch away any remains of blood along the spine of trout fish. There may be some residue still left within the fish, so rinse the fish with salt water.

Now place your knife within the ribs and base of fish’s backbone. Work your way towards the base of its backbone. Always try to cut as close to the rib as possible. This will give you maximum amount of meat. While cutting you should be able to see the blade of your knife constantly, this helps in attaining perfection. Cut till the end of the ribs. When you reach the anal fin try to keep your knife close to the fin and continue to cut through the tail. This step requires a lot of caution. Repeat the process for the other side too. Make sure that the knife is held tight when you are cutting the tail portion. Use you knife to cut down right towards the backbone. This process has to be followed for the entire length of cutting the fish. You are doing the process right if you can hear a sound while cutting the small pin bones.

Now remove the center piece from the frame of trout fish. It will give you two neatly created fillets (from either side of the fish). After the fillet is ready, you will find some bones still sticking to the frame of the fish. You can either cut this portion off or apply pliers to pluck them out. The good news is that there are usually not many bones found. Some of the bones are very soft and can be chewed through.

Always use a very sharp knife otherwise you may have to whine just like Mr. Oak. Let me know about your experiences with this Mark Brewer Trout fillet making process.