Simple pan fried trout

Directions

1. Clean and scale fish. Remove head if you like to reduce the length in the pan.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each fish
3. Spread flour on a large plate and gently dredge each fish in the flour, turning to cover both sides.
4. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan to medium-high and put 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in the pan.
5. When oil is hot, place two fish in pan (you can put all four in if they will fit), cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then turn fish and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. (very thick fish may require slightly more time)
6. Remove fish from pan and follow same process for any remaining fish.
7. TECHNIQUE FOR REMOVING BONES -- I learned this in Japan and it is valuable. Hold fish by the tail and lift the tail about 1-2 inches off the cutting board, letting the neck remain on the board. Using a pairing knife, cut into the meat and skin on the underside of the tail, peeling it back from the tail. Once you have cut a small amount of the meat from the tail bone, gravity will help pull the rest of the meat off the bone. Use your pairing knife to gently pull the meat down onto the board. When the underside fillet has been completely removed, turn the fish over so the top fillet is now on the bottom and repeat the process of cutting/peeling the meat off the bone. When you are done you will have two nice long fillets for each fish and you will be perfectly comfortable buying small whole fish in the future without worrying about ingesting bones!
8. Serve fillets with Soy Sauce on the table to pour on fish individually. Lemon wedges are optional.
9. We normally serve this with a 50/50 mix of brown and white rice, and broccoli or another green vegetable.