Cleaning and Cooking Steelhead Trout

[Fish Taco]

Howdy All,

I had an awesome day on Tuesday 7/13 on my first Steelhead trip. We went 4/9 for my first time ever.

I steaked them up like Salmon at Kroger. Cooked on the grill with lemon, butter, garlic and onions. Emmerill would be proud. LOL.

We cooked one today at a company cook-out whole on the grill. Again, it was awsome even just having it last night.

Can you fillet them and how do you do it? We caught one small one and I tried to fillet it with very little success.

I will be fishing on Sat. out of Avon Point and will be happy to entertain anyone in the eveing at our Lake House in Port Clinton. I will provide all neccessary adult beverages if you can supply some cleaning and cooking expertise.

Thanks in advance.


Eric

[Homer]

You should be able to fillet them like any other fish. The primary difference is that they have an additional set of bones sticking into the meat that you will have to cut through when filleting around the ribs. Fillets from the front half of the fish will end up with bones in them that you will need to pick out while you are eating. Fillets from the tail section will be bone-free; give these to people who don't want to deal with the bones. The skin is also more fragile than walleyes; it helps to have a sharp knife and a flat surface when skinning the fillet.

Regarding additional grilling recipes, here are my two favorites:

1) Mix equal parts soy sauce, melted butter, and lemon juice and baste liberally when grilling

2) Find a grocery store that carries Soy Vey teriyaki marinade, and use this as a dipping sauce when the fish come off the grill.

The only down-side to steelhead is that they don't keep for very long, even in the freezer. I'll generally eat a couple of meals right after the trip; frezze 1 or 2 packages to eat within the following couple weeks; and smoke the rest.

[Fish Taco]

Homer,

Thanks Much,

The one we grailled whole today was a big hit around the office. I really appreciate the info. I'm glad you told me they don't keep long. I steaked them up and froze em'. I will bring in quite a bit to give away at the office and have some I chatch on Sat. smoked.

"May your reels be screaming soon"

Eric

[BiodeGrady]

Small steelhead (3-4 lbs) are the best to fillet & grill. Use a knife with alot of flex. As you start your cut along the backbone flex the handle of the knife upwards slightly and you will leave the rib cage on the carcass (this takes a few fish to get the hang of it). Steelhead have soft bones so be careful not to cut through the backbone. Cut out the strip of Y bones like a walleye, but do not zipper the fillet. Make sure you skin the fish and remove the lateral line. I also like to trim all the red meat off the skin side and any back or belly fat. That is where the contaminants (PCBs) reside.

Try grilling on an aluminum pie tin with a little butter, fresh dill from the garden and lemon pepper seasoning.

Now I am getting hungry.

[Tom B]

> I
>will bring in quite a bit to give away at the office and have
>some I chatch on Sat. smoked.
>Eric

Or maybe you don't need to keep that many on your next trip...

Tom B

[ETT]

Taco,
Don't even try to release a steelhead after you net it. They wil be dead in 2 minutes. If you can release them off the hook without using the net...that's fine, but they kill themselves fighting the net.

[FreeByrd]

>
>Or maybe you don't need to keep that many on your next
>trip...
>
>Tom B

Hey Tom B.
Steelhead in Ohio are a STOCKED fish - Put and take - there is virtually zero natural reproducion of them. The are put in the lake by the DNR to CATCH & EAT. If you don't want to keep them - DON'T. We really tire of the holier than though guys that act like it is a problem to keep fish from Lake Erie. This isn't a pond you can throw a rock across. It is posts like yours that have caused a lot of people to stop giving helpful info.

Catche and Eat all you want Fish Taco and everyone else.
Steve Carlson
330 697 1499 cell
steve199132@yahoo.com

[fatboy]

ditto on freebyrds comment. the fella said he went 4 for 9

[Fish Taco]

ETT and Freebyrd,

Thanks for jumping to my/our defense last night. That is exactly why the State of Ohio stocks a few million Steelhead every year and anyway, they only live for 4-5 years.

Hope to see you all out there tomorrow.


Eric

[Wahoo]

Actually they live around seven years.The state of ohio does not stock millions and millions but there are alot of them out there.I do beleive they stock several hundred thousand per year.Lots of fish no doubt!!Plus the "wondering" fish from penn. and new york and even canada.Steelies are known "vagabonds".
It would be very very hard to "fish them out" with conventional hook and line methods.The truth is hook and line fishing seldom has much impact on fish populations in a enormous body of water such as erie.
As for releasing them~If your going to do it A.Do not touch them~release them at the transom IN the water if at all possible~B.If they are deep hooked and bleed much at all you might as well kill them because they will die.They are a very "tender" fish as to handling.
As for freezing them if you don`t already have a good vaccum packer buy one asap...Get fish ready to freeze and then set (in vac. bags and open) in freezer for about twenty minutes to firm it up then vaccuum away...It will keep in very good condition for several months.
As for recipes....You cannot beat rasberry vinagrette salad dressing as a marindae then place on heavily buttered al.foil on a hot gill for about eight minutes on one side then six on the other..just dont overdo it..Try it..In my years I have probably cooked several hundred pounds (of steelies and salmon) that way and not a dissatisfied cusomer in the bunch!!..lol.Enjoy em.Steelhead are amongst the finest/funnest fish in the water!!....Wahoo...

[WestMichiganEyes]

Usually C 'n R all my river steelhead (out of Lake MI tribs, where they can actually reproduce) but find it difficult to release a fresh, big lake fish. They are delicious wrapped in foil with butter and lemon pepper/dill.

They also are GREAT when smoked!

You can filet them but they do have a set of bones (not unlike the Y-bones on a pike) that you can easily trim out prior to cooking. Make sure that you skin them and remove all of the "mud-vein".