Trout is a delicious fish to eat and there is nothing quite like eating fresh trout cooked on the grill after a successful day of fishing. However, maybe you are new to trout fishing or new to fishing in general and are here searching for how to clean and prepare that beautiful fish you caught earlier for the grill. You have come to the right place. We have laid out step by step instructions for you below on how to get your trout processed and ready for the grill. Before we get to cleaning and preparing your fish, there are some things you are going to need.
First and foremost, you need a good sharp filet knife. If you have a lot of experience cleaning fish or need to clean a bunch of fish quickly, you can also use an electric filet knife. Make sure your knife is good and sharp before you get started as it will make the job much faster and easier. A diamond knife sharpener makes quick work of sharpening a filet knife. You also should clean the fish near a water faucet or have a rag or bucket of water handy to clean yourself and your workspace up when finished. Gutting a trout can be a messy business. Lastly, you want some sort of a plastic bag or ziploc to properly dispose of the innards of the trout when done cleaning it. Now, you are ready to get started!
Step 1 – Starting on either side of the trout, cut halfway through the trout right behind the pectoral fin (behind the gills).
Step 2 – Flip the trout over and cut the rest of the way through the trout to remove the head
Step 3 – Remove the anal fin
The anal fin removal allows an insertion point for the filet knife so you can open up the body of the fish and remove the guts.
Step 4 – Insert the tip of the knife into the belly cavity at the anal fin and cut open the stomach moving Opposite the tail
Step 5 – Work the knife from the anal fin opening back to the tail to open the fish all the way up
Once the fish is opened all the way up, you are ready to remove the guts.
Step 6 – Remove the guts
This is where cleaning a trout gets a bit messy. There is nothing scientific about this part of the process. You just have to get your hands dirty and get the innards out of the fish.
Step 7 – Remove the blood line along the backbone
You can see in the pic below that there is a dark red blood line running along the length of the backbone of the fish. There are high levels of mercury in this part of the fish so cut along the blood line and then scrape it out with the knife. You should have just clean white fish meat when you are done.
Step 8 – Remove the tail
The final step in the cleaning process is to remove the tail and prepare the fish for the grill!
Step 9 – Prepare for the grill!
Cooking the trout on the grill is simple. Simply place foil on the grill enough that the fish will be completely on the foil. Clean the fish well inside and out with clean water. Cut up a lemon into 1/4″ slices and insert them into the cavity of the fish. Insert a generous amount of coarse salt and pepper into the cavity of the fish and sprinkle a generous amount of course salt on the outside of the fish. Place the fish on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked. If you want a smoked flavor in the fish, consider a stainless steel smoker box and some oak wood chips. When fully cooked, the skin should be falling off the fish and the trout should be nice and flaky and easily removed from the bone with a fork. Goes well with some cornbread made in an iron skillet and some homemade coleslaw. Enjoy!
