PDA

View Full Version : How to prepare fish before cooking the easy way.



w00dsmoke
05-07-2009, 19:14
First catch your fish. In this case a lovely fly caught wild brown trout.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/badgergrod/julyo9fish002.jpg

You don't need a filliting knife, any sharp knife will do. Firstly cut the head off just behind the gills. Make this a nice clean straight cut so the head comes completely off.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/badgergrod/julyo9fish004.jpg

Then insert the tip of your knife in the anal hole of the fish and gently make a forward cut all the way towards your first cut. (head end of the fish) This doesn't need to be deep, all you are doing is cutting into the intestine cavity. Think of the body of a fish almost like an envelope and you are cutting the envelope open. In this picture the knife is situated where the cut was started and you can see the full length of the incision forward of the blade.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/badgergrod/julyo9fish005.jpg

Now scrape out the intestines so that you have a relatively clean intestinal cavity. You may have to cut the anal passage with the tip of the knife to free it. Don't worry about the black/red line by the spine, this can be scraped out with the tip of your knife. It can be left in too if you wish.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/badgergrod/julyo9fish007.jpg

Wash it in clean water and now you have a freshly prepared fish for cooking...
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/badgergrod/julyo9fish008.jpg
and by the way don't waste your fish like how Mr Mears does...there are better and tastier ways to cook fish if you don't have a pot or pan. More to follow soon...:p

For all you "experts" out there, I know there are a hundred ways to prepare trout and other fish and apart from ramming a stick down it's throat and cooking over a fire this is the easiest way to clean and prep a fish for cooking in my knowledge base;) This is for beginners.

Indoorsout
05-07-2009, 19:21
Thanks for this :) I've just started getting ino fishing and would love to one day be able to catch my own dinner. Looking forward to reading more!

huntersforge
05-07-2009, 19:24
Nice trout fella , well done . Excellent no nonsense thread :)

Bushwhacker
06-07-2009, 10:09
I'd descale it first.

Tadpole
06-07-2009, 10:22
Why cut the head off? all you need to do is to gut the fish.

jimford
06-07-2009, 10:25
Before I turned vegetarian, I used to catch and eat trout - until I started to find parasites in them!

Jim

Bushwhacker
06-07-2009, 10:33
Before I turned vegetarian, I used to catch and eat trout - until I started to find parasites in them!

Jim

That's why we cook them.

Melonfish
06-07-2009, 10:36
damn i want fresh trout now. been AGES since i had any..
good tutorial btw ;)

jimford
06-07-2009, 10:38
That's why we cook them.

But I didn't fancy eating parasites - cooked or not!

JIm

malente
06-07-2009, 11:03
thanks for the post, excellent refresher for me, as I consider myself a complete beginner again. I did fishing when I was a young lad, and used exactly that method to prepare the fish. I had more or less completely forgotten about it.

Looking forward to try this out in September on my trip to the sea lochs of Sotland :D

Shewie
06-07-2009, 11:25
I prefer to take out the bones with my thumbs but I've a feeling that's for another thread WS ?

w00dsmoke
06-07-2009, 15:12
As for descaling and cutting the head off...well that's up to you.

This is the easiest way I know to prep a trout for cooking and if you wanna eat trout head on you go...:lmao: As for descasling, it's absolutely pointless if you cook it the old way the skin just falls off and the bones lift out so no need for the prissy prep stuff. This is for absolute beginners who should know the very basics before progressing on. So once i've a few more photo's of cooking trout i'll post that up next. There's several old way's I'd like to demonstrate here for newbs.

I reckon it's good to get back to basics, there's plenty folk out there in search of the basics, well this may help them get started.

Shewie
06-07-2009, 15:15
Keep 'em coming WS, great thread

Matthew.Passmore
06-07-2009, 15:23
Nice simple tutorial, Good Stuff!

I do love fresh trout cooked over an open fire, it gets that lovely slightly smoked taste.

Nagual
06-07-2009, 15:23
Cheers w00dsmoke! Don't you know a good way of cleaning up small logs, rocks and weeds? Seems like that's all I'm catching just now.. ;) Lost 2 weights, 6 shiney hooks and a spinner today... :( oh well was fun while it lasted.

On a side note, while I'm sure many of us have, if you haven't tried a fish eye before, I recommend you do.. it's exactly like you think an eye isn't going to taste. Mainly just watery, a little chewy, but other than that not much taste.

Matthew.Passmore
06-07-2009, 15:25
On a side note, while I'm sure many of us have, if you haven't tried a fish eye before, I recommend you do.. it's exactly like you think an eye isn't going to taste. Mainly just watery, a little chewy, but other than that not much taste.

My Taste buds are tingling :p

smoggy
06-07-2009, 15:48
Thank you for a clear simple informative posting, as a novice in food prep....this is exactly what I need, and as you suggest, one needs to learn to walk before one learns to run.

Carry one with the next tutorial please....

Smoggy.

alpha_centaur
06-07-2009, 18:53
Cheers w00dsmoke! Don't you know a good way of cleaning up small logs, rocks and weeds? Seems like that's all I'm catching just now.. ;) Lost 2 weights, 6 shiney hooks and a spinner today... :( oh well was fun while it lasted.

On a side note, while I'm sure many of us have, if you haven't tried a fish eye before, I recommend you do.. it's exactly like you think an eye isn't going to taste. Mainly just watery, a little chewy, but other than that not much taste.

Where are you fishing from?

If you feel inclined come over next weekend and try my local fishing spot, I got a good load of mackies at the weekend.

locum76
06-07-2009, 18:58
Thats a great way of prepping a fish and the one i would use in the sticks. Its dead easy to get the bones out once its cooked too.

mrmel
07-07-2009, 15:00
Thats a greats tutorial. Iv never been fishing before but a friend of mine wants me to go with him, so now I know this I think I will.
Just need some cooking tips now.
Thanks for this.

andy_e
07-07-2009, 16:35
Lovely bit of fish there WS - that's a good quick and simple way to prep it with little fuss - chop, slice and gut - done!

If it's well cooked in its skin, then the flesh should flake off the bone nicely.

Looking forward to more pics mate.

CAL
09-07-2009, 13:31
Thanks WS, simple, effective and great for beginners like me.

Just need to get out there and try it now.

falling rain
09-07-2009, 15:40
Nice little tutorial WS.