From Head to Tail and Fin to Fin, Six Quick Steps for Boning Trout

Some supermarkets and stores specializing in fish choose to bone trout before selling it; however, many times the fish is marketed eviscerated, but with the skeleton still intact. It’s relatively easy to remove these bones before cooking, making the fish easier to eat.

Unlike many species of fish, trout has thin skin and very small scales. Skinning or scaling, therefore, is really not necessary.

The first step is to rinse the fish under cold water. Place it on a clean work surface and using kitchen scissors, snip off the fins at their base (Step 1).

With the trout lying on its side, remove the head by cutting just behind the gill covers (Step 2), using a strong, sharp knife. The spine is relatively soft, so it should not be difficult to cut through.

Open the belly cavity and continue cutting it down to the tail (Step 3). The tail may be cut off, if desired.

Use the scissors to cut through the fine rib bones on each side of the backbone (Step 4). Lift the backbone, scraping the flesh underneath and pull it free (Step 5). Cut or snip it off at the tail end.

Remove the rib bones by sliding the knife underneath and gently lifting them off (Step 6). A final thorough rinsing under cold water and the trout is ready to cook.