Best way to clean and cook.......

[Driftless]

wow this was a booming post. thanks all for the information. sounds to me that grilling or smoking is the way out.

what do they taste like

a dozen 14-16 inchers.....don't be shy about spicing up your brine also put red pepper flakes on skin and in chest cavity.

[Alagnak]

wow this was a booming post. thanks all for the information. sounds to me that grilling or smoking is the way out.

what do they taste like

Don't be afraid to try the flour dredge and pan fry in a little butter or bacon grease as previously mentioned. When I was little and would bring fresh ones back to the farm int the morning grandma would have me gut them but leave the head on and said "you know when they're done when the eyes turn white" :-). They don't have to cook very long at all! My favorite breakfast in the world is to have trout on open fire, toast, and coffee at the campsite stream side. At home in the pan with some eggs and toast is unreal. Man I'm hungry. I'll have to wait a month before some Iowa trout hit my mouth.

It's like not other fish/seafood. It's so delicate in texture it's hard to explain. And browns, brooks, and bows all have their differences too. All I know is I feel sorry for those who have never experienced such a treat.

[Driftless]

flour dredge and fry in bacon grease is how my mother use to cook them for my dad...Tails on...those brook trout taste amazing...tails are divine. My family now will only eat the smoked way.

Thanks for bringing back an excellent memory.

[Gordie]

what do they taste like

Hope this helps... NOT like chicken!

[tmg1brandt]

We broil trout, which we have found to be the best way besides smoking them. Brush fillets with melted butter and chopped garlic, sprinkle with your choice of seasonings (we use cajun and lemon pepper), let sit a while, then broil until dark. If you broil them long enough, the skin will peel right off, almost until it looks like the garlic is going to burn. If you don't broil them long enough the meat will be soft and the skin won't peel off easily. Worth a try!

[Juneau4]

Any one on here ever cook a trout on a rock? When I fished Wyo. we used to do it all the time.

[Feathers Rainin]

Easiest is baking, best is grilling IMO. If you grill them try it on a wet cedar plank. You can be very creative with your seasonings. The number one thing is to not over cook them. Mushy trout is such a waste of a good fish. Test them as you go and once you are able to flake apart the meat with a fork pull em out. Most trout are done in 10-25 minutes depending on temp and size of fish. Smoke the big fish if you decide to keep them.

[hookncook]

Last year a buddy of mine introduced me to trout cheeks. He deepfries the fish with their heads on. Then he pulls a dime sized piece of meet out of their cheek.

I wasn't too impressed, but he feels that no part of the fish should get wasted.

[itchmesir]

^^^ some folks are obsessed with cheek meat

[hookncook]

that would make him a cheeky fellow....

[phishnerd]

I clean them like everyone has already posted but I leave the head on. The eyeballs act as meat thermometers. When they cloud up and pop you know they are done! As far as cooking, I do the tin foil thing on the grill. My favorite is to slice up an onion and lemon putting some of each in the body cavity and the rest on the outside, cover it in french dressing and grill. Man o man you want to talk about some SWEET meat! Give it a shot... you'll love it!!