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how to cook freshwater trout?

justabubba

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inspired by the many suggestions in the salmon thread, thought i would ask about cooking trout here rather than derailing the existing thread

my wife loves fish and other seafood
i do not. allergic to shellfish and have never acquired a taste for fish *insert risky's comeback here*
that said, i am usually the cook. but could use your experience preparing & cooking freshwater trout

enjoy fly fishing and we have a lot of great trout streams in the nearby mountains (brook/rainbow/brown)

what are your tips about preparing the catch: whole fish (head on or off) or fillets
how do you grill it
or do you fry it in a cast iron pan ... cold or heated pan, and what - if any - oil do you add
how do you season it
what suggestions do you have for cooking it
 
Gut it. Salt and pepper (inside). Add a few thin slices of lemon and a pad of butter. Wrap it in foil and set it on the campfire coals. Flip it over after 5 min or so and make sure the other side is cooked.

When you unwrap it the skin should just peel away and the flesh will come off the bone clean and easy.
 
inspired by the many suggestions in the salmon thread, thought i would ask about cooking trout here rather than derailing the existing thread

my wife loves fish and other seafood
i do not. allergic to shellfish and have never acquired a taste for fish *insert risky's comeback here*
that said, i am usually the cook. but could use your experience preparing & cooking freshwater trout

enjoy fly fishing and we have a lot of great trout streams in the nearby mountains (brook/rainbow/brown)

what are your tips about preparing the catch: whole fish (head on or off) or fillets
how do you grill it
or do you fry it in a cast iron pan ... cold or heated pan, and what - if any - oil do you add
how do you season it
what suggestions do you have for cooking it

They should be relatvely big trout for this. Clean, salt lightly, pepper, some mulberry, if you like and smoke them. After sitting for a short time throw them on the grill.
 
They should be relatvely big trout for this. Clean, salt lightly, pepper, some mulberry, if you like and smoke them. After sitting for a short time throw them on the grill.
sounds great for the mountains
what kind of rolling papers do i buy?












kidding aside, THANKS guys for the suggestions!
 
inspired by the many suggestions in the salmon thread, thought i would ask about cooking trout here rather than derailing the existing thread

my wife loves fish and other seafood
i do not. allergic to shellfish and have never acquired a taste for fish *insert risky's comeback here*
that said, i am usually the cook. but could use your experience preparing & cooking freshwater trout

enjoy fly fishing and we have a lot of great trout streams in the nearby mountains (brook/rainbow/brown)

what are your tips about preparing the catch: whole fish (head on or off) or fillets
how do you grill it
or do you fry it in a cast iron pan ... cold or heated pan, and what - if any - oil do you add
how do you season it
what suggestions do you have for cooking it

I'm not a big trout fan, the only way I'll eat it is if it's freshly killed. Lightly salt and pepper, roll in a little cornmeal and fry it over the campfire with butter. If the dead fish doesn't move a bit while frying it's not fresh enough. And oh, no reason to keep the head on.

Honestly I usually just give the fish to my folks cause they like trout for some reason.
 
I'm not a big trout fan, the only way I'll eat it is if it's freshly killed. Lightly salt and pepper, roll in a little cornmeal and fry it over the campfire with butter. If the dead fish doesn't move a bit while frying it's not fresh enough. And oh, no reason to keep the head on.

Honestly I usually just give the fish to my folks cause they like trout for some reason.

Actually, there is a reason to keep the head on.

If you press backward on the cooked head, just behind the eye, you should get a little piece of meat about the size of an M&M pop out the gill. That's a trout cheek and it's really tasty.
 
sounds great for the mountains
what kind of rolling papers do i buy?












kidding aside, THANKS guys for the suggestions!

We use aluminium foil. But I haven't experimented.
 
inspired by the many suggestions in the salmon thread, thought i would ask about cooking trout here rather than derailing the existing thread

my wife loves fish and other seafood
i do not. allergic to shellfish and have never acquired a taste for fish *insert risky's comeback here*
that said, i am usually the cook. but could use your experience preparing & cooking freshwater trout

enjoy fly fishing and we have a lot of great trout streams in the nearby mountains (brook/rainbow/brown)

what are your tips about preparing the catch: whole fish (head on or off) or fillets
how do you grill it
or do you fry it in a cast iron pan ... cold or heated pan, and what - if any - oil do you add
how do you season it
what suggestions do you have for cooking it

I know it sounds silly, but my wife cooks it just like in the song "Le Poisson" from "The Little Mermaid" - cleans it, guts it, leaves the head on, makes three diagonal slices on each side, rubs some salt in, and pan-fries it in oil. It's so simple...but it's so doggone good! She's a big fan of the simpler, the better, and she's the best natural cook I've ever seen - you know the type who never ever measures anything, but somehow knows to put just a pinch of this, just a few leaves of that, and all of a sudden everything's perfect. I'm just lucky she doesn't like Mexican, 'cause if she cooked Mexican as well as she does everything else, I'd be about 400 lbs and growing....
 
Actually, there is a reason to keep the head on.

If you press backward on the cooked head, just behind the eye, you should get a little piece of meat about the size of an M&M pop out the gill. That's a trout cheek and it's really tasty.

Yeah but then you can't take them out to see a movie.
 
I suspect you are. Did you never listen to Dr. Demento?

Great. I really didn't need that memory to resurface but thanks. Truth be told, I never knew the tune had any words other than the chorus.
 
I dont like trout. Too bony and tasteless.
 
Gut it. Salt and pepper (inside). Add a few thin slices of lemon and a pad of butter. Wrap it in foil and set it on the campfire coals. Flip it over after 5 min or so and make sure the other side is cooked.

When you unwrap it the skin should just peel away and the flesh will come off the bone clean and easy.
I do pretty much the same whether it is on the campfire or the grill. I'll use olive oil sometimes instead of butter and I usually dont use the lemon. Salt, a little pepper and some form of oil. Trout tastes like fish...so we should be able to taste the fish.

I make a simple sauce with mayo, really finely diced red onions, a little tartar, a little mustard, a little greek yogurt, garlic, and some fresh chives.
 
I'm not sure if freshwater vs. sea water vs. sea-to-freshwater (ie, during runs for mating/egg laying) matters.....


If it doesn't, I'll typically grill Steelhead trout (think it's a run fish...like salmon). Gas grill, heated to about 475, about 5m 15 sec a side. Results in the sort of just barely undercooked center I love in a pink-fleshed fish, like char, salmon, or steelhead.
 
I dont like trout. Too bony and tasteless.

Kind of in the same boat, most of what we get around her is catfish, same story, a lot of work for not very much enjoyment.
 
I'm not sure if freshwater vs. sea water vs. sea-to-freshwater (ie, during runs for mating/egg laying) matters.....


If it doesn't, I'll typically grill Steelhead trout (think it's a run fish...like salmon). Gas grill, heated to about 475, about 5m 15 sec a side. Results in the sort of just barely undercooked center I love in a pink-fleshed fish, like char, salmon, or steelhead.

Ive had Rainbow, Brown, Cutthroat, Golden, Brook, Lake, Tiger, Splake etc.. ive found the tastiest trout , in my opinion is Brook Trout. There are 3 genus of trout and then the Tiger and Splake hybrids.
Brook trout as those you who have caught them know they are a smaller variety of trout usually caught in streams, flesh is pink.

Still all trout is good as long as it is fresh. When I see trout in a grocery store or fish market I just cant imagine paying premium cut steak type prices for fish market trout that I have caught thousands of in my lifetime.

As far as cooking, a few people have suggested salt , pepper, lemon etc.. you can cut a corner and use lemon pepper if you like as those two things are a must.
 
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