Culinary basics: how to clean and cut trout. How to cut trout

When choosing fish, you should give preference to a chilled rather than a frozen carcass. This will allow you to carefully examine the trout and understand how fresh it is. When preparing for cutting, you need to choose a sharp knife and a suitable board.

Before salting, you need to properly cut the trout

Preparation for the main cutting process includes several stages:

  1. Moving from the tail to the head, it is necessary to clean the skin of scales and rinse the fish with cool water.
  2. Cut open the belly and carefully remove the contents, being careful not to tear the intestines.

If there is caviar, put it in a separate container for later salting, and throw away the insides. The film covering the abdominal cavity gives bitterness to ready-made dishes, so it and the remaining blood clots must be removed. Rinse the fish again with water.

How to cut trout: the main stage

Now you need to prepare the carcass for cutting into portions or separating the fillet for salting. The work includes several processes:

  • the head and tail need to be cut off and placed in a separate bag; they can be used later for preparing first courses;
  • To remove the fins, the flesh on both edges must be cut and the protruding part pulled towards you. The fins located on the abdomen are cut off;
  • Finally, remove the skin. To do this, you need to pick up the edge of the skin near the cut where the head was and gently pull it towards the tail.

You need to remove the fillet from the prepared carcass by cutting off the meat from the ridge and removing the remaining bones with tweezers. As a result of this work, you will receive two pieces of red fish fillet that can be salted, as well as a set: head, tail, fins and ridge for preparing first courses.

Video: how to cut trout

The proposed option is suitable for salting red fish using dry and wet methods. The finished fillet can be left whole or cut into small pieces. If necessary, the remaining fish can be frozen; this does not affect its taste.

To better understand how trout is cut, watch the video. The workflow may seem complicated, but with practice your movements will become more confident and cleaning the fish will not be difficult.

Trout is a fish from the salmon family, which has a pleasant taste and contains a large amount of substances beneficial to the human body. To preserve them, you need to know how to clean and properly cut this representative of the aquatic fauna.

Useful properties of trout

Before cutting trout and preparing it for further cooking, it is necessary to study all the beneficial properties of this fish. Thanks to them, you can get rid of various diseases and prevent their reappearance. Trout contains a large amount of useful substances (retinol, thiamine, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, pyridoxine, ascorbic and folic acids), which have a beneficial effect on various body systems.

Useful properties of fish:

  • cleanses blood vessels;
  • fights Alzheimer's disease;
  • has a positive effect on brain function;
  • accelerates the process of glucose absorption;
  • normalizes metabolism;
  • reduces cholesterol levels;
  • relieves depression and anxiety;
  • has a positive effect on the central nervous system.
  • reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases;
  • reduces the risk of developing diabetes.

How to clean fish from scales?

To clean trout from scales, you need to perform several preparatory steps. They will help simplify the work and complete it in the shortest possible period of time.

Cleaning fish from scales is done using the following items:

  • a special fish knife (with serrations) or a metal brush for washing dishes;
  • cutting board;
  • paper towels;
  • latex gloves.

In most cases, housewives do all dirty work wearing gloves. This helps protect the skin of your hands from the negative effects of various factors.

Procedure:

  1. The fish is washed thoroughly with cold water. They do this in order to get rid of the mucus that covers the trout.
  2. After this, take paper towels and use them to get rid of the remaining moisture.
  3. The fish is sprinkled with salt on all sides. This little trick will help prevent the trout from slipping out of your hands.
  4. To clean the scales with a sharp knife or a metal brush, start from the tail, gradually moving towards the head. This work must be done as carefully as possible, since the slightest mistake can damage the delicate skin of an aquatic inhabitant.
  5. Then the trout is turned belly up and all the same steps are repeated as for the side parts of the carcass.
  6. At the very end, the fish is washed with water and the fingers are checked for missing scales.

Trout cutting process

Cutting fish for salting, frying or preparing soup should also be carried out according to generally accepted rules. Otherwise, you can spoil the appearance of the trout or worsen its taste.

Fillet cutting for salting and frying

To cut trout for salting or frying, you need to fillet the carcass. To do this, you need to know how to separate the ridge and all other bones, and also take into account important nuances of the process. It’s not so easy to do all this, so it’s better to practice on cheaper fish.

The work is carried out as follows:

  1. The first step is to gut the trout. To do this, make a longitudinal incision in the abdomen and carefully remove all the insides.
  2. The carcass is placed on a cutting board with its back facing up.
  3. Using a special knife, a cut is made from the base of the head to the tail.
  4. Then a transverse cut is made, trying to get as close to the ridge of the fish as possible.
  5. After this, turn the carcass over and perform similar actions.
  6. Rib bones are cut from 2 large fillet pieces.
  7. At the next stage of work, the dorsal and ventral fins are removed.
  8. Using tweezers, remove all small bones.
  9. At the very end, the fish is placed on a cutting board and the skin is separated. This is done with a thin and sharpest knife.

Caviar separation process

Sometimes you can find caviar inside purchased or caught trout. To turn it into a sandwich delicacy, you need to follow a few simple steps. Among them should be the following:

  1. Pour water into a deep container, the temperature of which is about +70°C.
  2. Add 2 tsp to the liquid. salt.
  3. Caviar is placed in the resulting solution.
  4. Then take a fork and begin to thoroughly mash the contents of the bowl. As a result of these actions, part of the film that holds the eggs together will tear and it will be easy to remove.
  5. After this, change the fork to a whisk and continue the same steps.
  6. The separated eggs will settle at the bottom of the salt water.
  7. The liquid is filtered through a fine sieve or colander.
  8. The remaining caviar is transferred to a glass jar and stored in the refrigerator.

The second way to separate caviar from the film is even simpler than the first. To carry it out, you will need to use an ordinary grater, which any housewife can find.

Correct sequence of actions:

  1. Take a bag of caviar and rub it on the coarsest grater. Do not apply any force, as this may damage the valuable product.
  2. Most of the film will remain on the grater, and the separated eggs will fall into the substituted container.
  3. They are washed several times with warm water.
  4. After this, the expensive delicacy is transferred to a jar and placed in the refrigerator.

Cutting whole fish for fish soup and steaks

Fish soup is considered one of the most popular fish dishes. To prepare it, they do not use fillet pieces, but the ridge, head and tail. Thanks to them, a good broth and a pleasant fishy aroma are obtained. Before preparing fish soup, you need to properly cut the trout. They do it like this:

  1. The pre-washed carcass is cleaned of scales.
  2. After this, the entrails are removed and the gills are cut out.
  3. Then the head and tail are cut off, which are immediately placed in the pan.
  4. The fins and ridge, separated from the fillet, are also placed there.

All other parts of the carcass are added to the dish at the request of the cook.

You can make not only fish soup from trout, but also steaks. They can be baked in the oven, fried in a pan or grilled. Aromatic spices and proper cutting of trout will help you achieve good taste.

Sequence of operations:

  1. The trout, washed from mucus, is placed on a cutting board.
  2. Using a special knife, cut off the head and tail.
  3. The remaining part of the carcass is cut into pieces no less than 2.5 cm wide. It is better to leave the bones, as they will not only retain the shape of the steak, but will also make it more tasty.

How to clean frozen fish?

Working with frozen fish is much easier than working with fresh fish. Because of this, many housewives prefer to put newly purchased trout in the freezer and begin cleaning it only after a few hours.

Process for preparing frozen fish:

  1. The trout is removed from the freezer and placed in a large container filled with cold water. It is important to remember that it is not recommended to defrost fish or meat in warm or hot water.
  2. After about 15 minutes, they begin cleaning the carcass. To prevent it from slipping on the cutting board, rub it with coarse salt.
  3. At the initial stage, the scales are removed. Due to the fact that it is bound by ice crystals, the work is performed as simply as possible.
  4. After this, the trout is cut in one of the following ways (depending on the dish that will be prepared from the fish).

Fish storage

In order to avoid daily cleaning, gutting and cutting of trout, it is necessary to immediately process all purchased or caught fish. Unused pieces can be frozen and kept refrigerated for several days. To prevent the trout from spoiling during this time, you must adhere to the following rules:

  1. You can quickly cool cleaned and gutted fish using crushed ice. However, for long-term storage it is better to place the carcasses in the freezer.
  2. You can increase the shelf life of trout using vegetable oil. They should rub the carcass and put it in the cold. Before cooking, you will definitely need to wash off the protective layer from the surface of the product.
  3. If a yellowish coating appears on the fish, this indicates the beginning of the rotting process. Meat damaged by microorganisms should be cut off and disposed of, and the rest should be consumed within 24 hours.
  4. Before placing trout in the freezer, you should dry it with paper towels. This will remove excess moisture, which will shorten the shelf life of the product.
  5. It is not recommended to store carcasses or fillet pieces open. It is best to wrap them in parchment paper, which will protect the fish from moisture and retain all the substances beneficial to the human body.
  6. Before long-term storage (more than a week) in the freezer, it is necessary to treat the fish with a saline solution. It is prepared from 1 liter of water and 3 tbsp. l. salt. Thanks to this, it will be possible to slow down the proliferation of harmful microorganisms that can lead to rotting of the fish.
  7. It is important to keep trout away from milk, sausage and any smoked foods. Otherwise, the shelf life of the fish will be reduced several times.

Trout is one of the healthiest and most delicious fish. To enjoy it and preserve the maximum amount of vitamins, you need to know how to clean and cut up a carcass. If all steps are carried out accurately, even a novice housewife can do this job.

How to properly cut trout or salmon, so that all this treasure goes to work and nothing is wasted? And how to prepare trout for the winter, if you can buy more of it during the season. Probably, any housewife is puzzled by this question when looking at a beautiful pot-bellied rainbow trout or Norwegian salmon in the window of a fish store. I offer you my recipe.

Norwegian salmon is not found in our area, but rainbow trout is bred in cages, so it is a fairly frequent guest on our family tables. Sometimes we buy it already cut up, that is, without the entrails, but here we have the opportunity to catch it ourselves in cages at a reasonable price, and then we have to cut it up completely ourselves.
I don’t know how you sell it gutted or not, so I’ll describe the complete step-by-step process of how to properly cut trout, or rather, how I cut it. Cutting and salting trout or salmon requires certain skills. In addition, it is necessary that nothing is lost, everything goes into use!
I buy several fish at once per season. This is mainly in September, when the fish has already gained its weight and its price becomes affordable. I immediately cut it up and store it for the winter.
Here she is, a beautiful trout, lying there and shining with her thick sides.


I have already pulled out the entrails from it and separated the caviar and fat. We will melt the fat over very low heat.

From this internal fat, which is located mainly in the intestines of our trout, the most real and quite pleasant fish oil is obtained, i.e. Omega-3, the benefits of which doctors talk so much about. Honestly, homemade fish oil is much nicer than pharmacy oil.


Oh yes! We also have fish caviar and liver. Nothing should go to waste on our farm. Therefore, we put all this wealth in a frying pan and lightly fry it in butter. You can also add pieces of fish, but I don’t do this. If there is a lot of caviar, then you can read how to salt it.


Don’t forget to add salt to taste and serve this luxury with boiled potatoes. Or whatever you want... You can eat it like that!

Now let's move on to the fish carcass itself. Let's make fillet. Separate the ridges and heads from the flesh of the fish.

We will need ridges, heads, fins and tails for cooking fish soups. Naturally, the tails need to be cleaned of scales.


We pack the soup sets in plastic bags and put them in the freezer for the winter enjoyment of fish soup. Oh, which of these sets turns out to be Finnish soup - or rather creamy soup

Well, now we begin to cut up the fleshy part, which we will prepare for salted fish and for other fish dishes such as fried fish or.
First, use a sharp fillet knife to separate the pieces of fish from the thick skin. I always separate the trout meat from the skin. Then, when preparing any dish, you will not need to mess with the skin again. Some people actually clean the skin of scales and use it in the ear. But I'm used to it this way.

Now we put clean, delicious pieces of fish into bags for freezing.


You can then use such pieces to prepare any dishes. For example do
. And quickly and very tasty.
I salt the same pieces. Salting should be done with coarse sea salt. I add a pinch of salt to the bottom of the dish and arrange the pieces in layers, generously sprinkling them with salt. The fish won't take too much. But quickly, literally overnight, it will become beautiful, tender salted trout. You can add a little, literally a teaspoon of sugar. This is not for everybody. Some people like to salt with dill and other spices, but we love the old-fashioned simple method of salting with just salt. The fish needs to be slightly pressed for literally a few hours.

On the one hand, cutting fish is a fairly simple task. However, not everyone can do it correctly. This article is intended to provide guidance on how to cut trout. This fish appears quite rarely on our tables these days. This is due to the fact that valuable fish species are constantly disappearing due to active fishing or bans are imposed on their fishing. Due to this, it is quite expensive and housewives cut and prepare cheaper fish. The cleaning and cutting technique is not much different, therefore, there should be no problems with cutting trout. At the same time, it is necessary to follow some rules.

The method of cleaning trout is chosen depending on the nature of the dish being prepared. In this regard, the order of cutting fish may be changed and some steps may be missed. For example:

  • Depending on the cooking method, choose the size of the fish.
  • Trout is prepared in a number of ways.
  • You can simply fry it in a frying pan.
  • Trout makes a very tasty and healthy fish soup.
  • Trout can be stuffed with various contents.
  • Baked trout, possibly using cream.

Roasting whole trout

To bake whole fish, you should choose fish carcasses of a certain size. The main thing is that it fits on the baking dish. It should be remembered that the larger the fish carcass, the longer it will have to cook.

First of all, you should rinse the fish to remove mucus. As a rule, it is unlikely that you will be able to do this in one go. If you use salt, you can solve the problem of holding fish. Trout can be cleaned in one or the other direction. Particular attention should be paid to cleaning the belly of the fish. Here the scales are smaller, but also more durable than on other parts of the body. If you don't clean the belly well, you can ruin the dish. It is not necessary to cut off the trout's head, just remove the gills. Finally, rinse the fish thoroughly again. After this, it is advisable to dry it with paper towels. Trout is cooked either in the oven or in a slow cooker, depending on the recipe.

Gutting fish

This stage of cutting fish is present, regardless of the cooking method. And you can do it yourself. To do this, you need to cut the belly of the fish, starting from the anal fin to the gills themselves. After this, you need to take out everything that is inside the belly. The film can also be removed. If you don't do this, you may end up with a bitter dish.

If you follow some rules, the process will not be burdensome. For example:

  • It is better to clean fish in a sink. This will protect the kitchen from unnecessary dirt and save time on cleaning and cleaning.
  • For cleaning fish, a knife with a short handle, but rather sharp, is more suitable.
  • If there is no option with a sink, then it is better to cut the fish on a cutting board. At the same time, it is very important that the fish cutting board is not used for preparing other food products, except for cooking meat. This is especially true when bread, cheese, sausages, etc. are cut on a cutting board.
  • If you need to put fish in the freezer, you should make sure that there is as little moisture on it as possible.
  • It is advisable to clean and cut the fish immediately after purchase. When it is completely defrosted, this technological process will take much longer.

Skinning trout and removing bones

Some cooking methods do not require removal of bones and skin, but if this must be done, then:

  • After the fish is cleaned and gutted, only then do they begin to remove the skin and bones. At the same time, the fish must be clean.
  • The head, tail and fins are also removed.
  • Removal of the ridge with bones is carried out through a longitudinal incision made on the back of the fish.

Not much advice: To remove the backbone with bones, you need to make a deep cut to divide the fish carcass into two parts. This is the only way to get rid of bones without any problems.

Important: the knife should pass in close proximity to the vertebrae of the fish and follow a sliding path. In this case, you need to control the position of the knife. The knife should go at an angle, towards the abdomen. This process requires holding the fish carcass motionless.

  • After this, the remaining bones are removed. They are easy to spot if you run your finger across the meat. They are removed using tweezers or nail scissors.
  • To remove the skin from the meat, first make an incision, after which, holding the fish, the meat is cut off from the skin. At the same time, you should also control the position of the knife. It should be at an angle to the table, or rather, at an angle to the skin. This is the only way to properly separate the meat from the skin.
  • Similar actions are needed when you need to prepare salad and rolls, as well as those dishes that require small pieces of meat.

When cutting trout, you should remember that from such parts of the fish as the ridge, head, tail and fins you can actually cook the most delicious and healthy fish soup.

Vitamins and microelements

A whole bunch of vitamins and minerals, as well as other useful substances, were found in trout meat.

  • Meat contains B vitamins.
  • And also vitamins A and D.
  • Its meat contains microelements such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, etc.
  • With regular consumption, due to the presence of Omega 3 fatty acids, there is a decrease in bad cholesterol in the human body. In addition, useful components do not allow plaques to form on the walls of blood vessels.
  • The presence of choline in trout meat promotes the generation of nerve cells in the human body. In addition, the skin is healed and restored, as well as the body is cleansed of toxins and toxic substances.

Energy value

Experts do not recommend consuming trout meat for pregnant women and young mothers who are breastfeeding. Fish meat is quite fatty, so it is not recommended for people suffering from problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The meat of this fish will not benefit hypertensive patients and patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Before eating the head, pay special attention to the gills. It is better to remove them, since a lot of harmful substances accumulate in the gills. If this is not done, the taste of the dish will be irrevocably spoiled.

The process of cleaning trout is practically no different from cleaning other fish. The main thing here is to approach each stage carefully and with full responsibility. This is the only way to obtain a high-quality final product. It should also be remembered that the quality of the final product largely depends on the quality of the original product.

Trout is a very valuable, nutritious fish with excellent taste. But often many people are faced with the problem of how to clean trout without making much effort.

Cleaning trout involves cutting off those parts of it that do not need to be eaten. For trout, these parts are, of course, the head, fins, spine, entrails, skin and tail. You have to clean them out.

Each of you, first of all, asks the question: are trout cleaned of scales? The answer is of course yes! You will either have to scrape off the scales or remove the skin completely. But first of all, the trout must be thoroughly washed under running water. Then, with a sharp knife or scissors, you need to make an incision along the belly, from the lower fin to the upper. Make cuts along the sides, up to the gills, and under the trout's lower jaw. Having picked up the fish by the cuts made, you need to remove the fins along with the gills and entrails. Next, holding the head, break the trout's spine.

Now we have come to the moment of how to clean trout from scales. After breaking the ridge, remove the skin from the fish by pulling from the head to the tail. Once you have skinned the fish, cut off the tail and rinse the trout under cold running water to remove any blood clots and remaining entrails. Then you can safely cut it into pieces convenient for you and start cooking.

Another fish whose meat is a delicacy is sturgeon. Sturgeon is a freshwater fish, the commercial fishing of which is prohibited. They are bred artificially in fresh water bodies. Sturgeon needs to be cleaned a little differently than trout. To begin with, the sturgeon must be euthanized by placing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Cleaning sturgeon is not difficult; to do this, you just need to cut off growths on the skin, called “bugs.” There are a row of them on the back and a little on the sides. The dorsal growths can be cut off with a knife, and the side growths can be cleaned off like on ordinary fish. Then we gut and remove the gills. Another very important point is that you need to remove the vizig from the spine. Viziga is a central ridge consisting of cartilage and veins. Its meat is dangerous. Be sure to remove it. To do this, there are two cuts: one at the tail and the second at the head. In depth, approximately to the middle. You will see a white vizig. Then we carefully pull it and pull it completely out of the sturgeon. Rinse under cold water and start cooking. Many people cook sturgeon with the skin on; it comes off easily after cooking. You can bake sturgeon, boil fish soup, or anything else. Now you know thoroughly how to clean sturgeon.