Put and Take Sverige
Gutting fish step by step
Gutting a rainbow takes only a minute, but it makes a big difference to the taste. The sequence is always the same: dispatch, bleed, take out the guts and rinse. Keep the fish cold all the way to cooking, and you are rewarded with paler meat and better keeping.
Step by step
- Dispatch at once. A firm stunning blow to the head right after landing. Fish you keep should be dispatched quickly and humanely — dispatch fish.
- Bleed. Cut the gill arches or make a cut behind the gills and let the fish bleed out. That gives paler, better meat.
- Open the belly. A shallow cut from the gill area forward to the vent. Superficial, so you do not cut into the guts.
- Take out. Pull out the guts and scrape away the dark blood line along the backbone with a thumbnail or a spoon.
- Rinse. Rinse the body cavity clean in cold water and dry the fish.
Smaller rainbows are excellent cooked whole, with lemon and dill in the belly. If you want fillets, cut along the backbone from tail toward head on both sides. Keep the fish cold from catch to kitchen, preferably on ice in a cool bag if you fish a long time. Fish that will be cured or cold-smoked must be frozen 2–3 days for parasites — see cook the catch. Then: oven, cure or smoke.
FAQ
Why should you bleed the fish?
Bleeding gives paler, better meat and better keeping. Cut the gill arches right after the fish is dispatched and let it bleed out.
How soon must I gut the fish?
As soon as possible, and keep it cold in between. Gut on the spot or at home the same day, and store the fish chilled or on ice until then.
Whole or filleted?
Smaller rainbows are excellent whole, filled with lemon and dill. If you want fillets you cut along the backbone from tail toward head on both sides. For put and take it is usually enough to cook the fish whole.