Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3165
Loc: Big Sky Country
In general terms just about any fish you find in the CONUS could be cleaned roughly the same way. Obviously use your own judgement- there are some waters where it's likely not safe to eat anything you catch and there might some poisonous fish I'm unaware. But if you head and gut almost any fish you could conceivably roast or poach it in an emergency situation. Anatomically most fish have a spine and similar internal organs. Some may have fins in different locations, rows of floating bones, etc. But in general terms you can cut into the fish right behind the gills down to the spine, then turn and cut one side of the fish off of the spine. Flip and do the other side. Grasp the fish towards the tail end and run the blade of your knife along the skin to remove the skin from the flesh. The rib cage will usually be visible and can be cut out. This will take the majority of bigger bones out of most fish. This is pretty common for our freshwater fish and many ocean fish but you should do some research on the fish in your area.
Most freshwater fish are edible, although they may not be very palatable.
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