BONING A TROUT By Sallie Spiers

Like everything else this is a really simple process once you learn how! If you want to smoke a trout, the two main advantages of removing the bones before you do so are: first, you get trouble free eating and second, you don't spoil the appearance of the fish as you produce it golden and steaming from the smoker, ready to serve. This is also a good way to produce fillets for frying, bone free and with a minimum waste.

Hold the gutted fish firmly and cut from just behind the head at a slight angle so you miss the gill covers, severing the spine as you slice down.

Lie the fish fully up and insert the point of the knife at the junction of the spine and the rib cage, cutting edge upwards. Slide the blade up alongside the rib bones from which it will emerge where the bones end.

Work your way in two or three cuts until that entire side of the rib cage is free. Repeat on the opposite side.

Reverse the fish and again using the point of the blade (which is placed where the anal vent used to be before cutting), slide the cutting edge through the skin beside the anal fin and gently lift the flesh off both sides of the tail bones without slicing through the skin on the other side. Repeat on the reverse side of the fish.

Now comes the tricky bit! Turn the fish again so that the rib cage is towards you and facing upwards. Gently stroke the knife point alongside the backbone at the base of the ribs, cutting through a small depth of flesh until you feel the lateral rows of bones that point out to the side.

When you feel them, slide the blade carefully sideways so that you lift the flesh free from the bones. Stroke the blade through until you can feel it free - but watch you don't cut too far or you'll be through the outer skin.

Once again use the point, blade towards the outside, to feel your way under the row of bones and peel it off them. Lift the flap of bones and slide the blade down the main bone frame to skin level along the fish's back.

Complete by repeating this process on the opposite side. Check that the skeleton is free right through (especially where the rib cage ends).

There should be no bones remaining apart from where the fins join the body.

If you fancy a little keyhole surgery, you can actually remove the skeleton while leaving the head on— just sever the spine from inside at the same time, without cutting through the neck, down the flaps on each side of the gill cases.

A really sharp knife is essential and probably a bit of practice first.
If you want fillets to crumb or fry, you can remove the skin by sliding your knife flat behind the fish.