Cleaning trout question

[Chris Roberts]

How do you guys clean 12 to 16 inch trout

[Jen Nayfly]

CUT OFF THE HEAD, DE-GUT AND FEED TO THE COONS! THEY AINT FIT TO EAT!

[jim cosgrove]

the best trout i have ever eaten goes like this.fillet leave on skin and scales.rub meat side with blackening spices  put on alot.you might want to do this next part outside.i take the baffle out of my gas grill and get a cast iron fry pan very hot.spoon in some butter or i use smart balance as i am getting old,right away  put the fillets meat side down in the pan.it will smoke alot thats why i do it outside.turn it down a little if it seems to be burning but you want to char it a bit.when it seems like it is getting flakey flip to skin down and cook until done.squeeze some lemon on before eating,

[Allen Morgan]

Jim's got my favorite preparation right there.  I love Blackened fish.

I take my kitchen shears, trim off the fins, insert part of the scissors into the vent, and belly-cut it almost to the gills.  Make two cuts, at a 45 degree angle, forwards and to the side until you reach the gill slit.  I take the scissors and cut the tongue loose from the lower jaw, through the expansion folds (???) between the sides of the tongue and the jaw.  Stick your finger down this hole, and down the throat of the fish.  Grabbing the gill plates with the fingers of my left hand, I pull upwards with my right index finger to pull out the tongue, gills, and innards.  Snap the head up and sever the spine.  Use the shears if you have to.  Now, take a fillet knife and run it down the underside of the spine, through the membrane, and release the clotted blood.  Rinse this out under running water.

This can be cooked and eaten as-is.  If you want to butterfly the fish, that takes a little more work.  I've done it, a few times, but not enough to remember off the top of my head.

Run a search on youtube and you should get a few videos showing how to do a basic cleaned whole trout, and how to butterfly them.

[Chris Roberts]

After cleaning 9 yesterday, I think Jen has the idea...

The bones in the filet were the hardest to get out, but I'll have a good little fry here soon.  I took my father in law to opening day of trout season (stocked trout) and if you catch em, you have to legally keep em.  So we did, had a good time on a beautiful almost 60* day.