Tugboat Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Ya'll any good at this? I'm getting real sick of doing a real bad job of it, specifically on smaller fishes like Rainbow Trout. Always feels like i'm either leaving half the fish on the carcass, or spending half an eternity picking through stupid ghosty little pinbones. Seems to get a lot easier when you scale up the size of fish, or just shift to a fish that doesn't have so many extra unnecessary bones in the first place. But i'm most acutely frustrated dealing with little freshwater fishes. Big ol' steelheads are kinda easy...but also, not worth the time 'cause they're always just sold for not much more already filleted and boned. I've tried a few different techniques and they each seem to have some merit, but they're also all kind of annoying and unsatisfactory. Anyone got any real expertise or tips and tricks for doing a better job of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKnight82 Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugboat Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 49 minutes ago, MKnight82 said: O'. Thnx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dome Posted September 23, 2023 Share Posted September 23, 2023 On 9/20/2023 at 4:30 AM, Tugboat said: I've tried a few different techniques and they each seem to have some merit, but they're also all kind of annoying and unsatisfactory. Anyone got any real expertise or tips and tricks for doing a better job of this? I was a meat cutter for 9 years Each species is going to have a different technique to get the biggest yield, there isn’t really a one size fits all technique. small fish suck, the best tip is to just practice and learn through repetition. Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do other than slow down and make sure you’re doing it right. I don’t fillet trout, and I can’t say I’ve seen anyone else do it…. usually I just gut them and leave the fillets on the carcass, you can stuff the ribcage with herbs, lemon and butter. About a 12-14# halibut is a good one to practice on without having too much waste. You’ll need a vacuum sealer or canning setup to save it though. On a 15# fish You get 8-10# of nice thick fillets/steaks and a get to keep the carcass for a soup or stock. I could buy the whole halibut at $8 a pound, store sell the fillets for $19.99 a pound and the carcasses at $4.99 a pound. As a consumer, buying whole is a really good way to get a deal on halibut. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nagahide13 Posted September 23, 2023 Share Posted September 23, 2023 2 hours ago, Dome said: I don’t fillet trout, and I can’t say I’ve seen anyone else do it…. usually I just gut them and leave the fillets on the carcass, you can stuff the ribcage with herbs, lemon and butter. I grew up cooking em whole in a pan. The bones and skin come off easy after cooking. Never did fillet one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dome Posted September 23, 2023 Share Posted September 23, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, nagahide13 said: I grew up cooking em whole in a pan. The bones and skin come off easy after cooking. Never did fillet one. my dad, my brother and i mixed up the flour and powdered sugar once and found out candied trout is also good Edited September 23, 2023 by Dome 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugboat Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 11 hours ago, nagahide13 said: I grew up cooking em whole in a pan. The bones and skin come off easy after cooking. Never did fillet one. I like the skin tho. When everything's right and you can get it nice and crispy. Cooking 'em hole is something i've done a lot of. But it still ends up in this awkward situation where you just wanna eat the fish...but you're cutting and picking through the thing to get rid of the bones. It's easier to pull the bones in some ways, but it's still so fiddly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugboat Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 14 hours ago, Dome said: I was a meat cutter for 9 years Each species is going to have a different technique to get the biggest yield, there isn’t really a one size fits all technique. small fish suck, the best tip is to just practice and learn through repetition. Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do other than slow down and make sure you’re doing it right. I don’t fillet trout, and I can’t say I’ve seen anyone else do it…. usually I just gut them and leave the fillets on the carcass, you can stuff the ribcage with herbs, lemon and butter. About a 12-14# halibut is a good one to practice on without having too much waste. You’ll need a vacuum sealer or canning setup to save it though. On a 15# fish You get 8-10# of nice thick fillets/steaks and a get to keep the carcass for a soup or stock. I could buy the whole halibut at $8 a pound, store sell the fillets for $19.99 a pound and the carcasses at $4.99 a pound. As a consumer, buying whole is a really good way to get a deal on halibut. I think i'm just looking for a miracle that doesn't exist. Big steelhead Trout, or Salmon...there's a lot more room to work with and they're not that hard to fillet. Still kind of annoying. But easier to just buy off the rack, they're everywhere. Whitefish, and especially flatfish like Turbot or crap like Bighead Carp are easy. Their bones are easy. Almost never see full Halibut here though. That's always fillets here. I just want Rainbow Trout fillets. Why is this too much to ask? Somebody has to have more patience than i do? Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.