Trout for dogs with sweet potato and green beans

Trout for dogs with sweet potato and green beans: how to remove the pin bones, how long to cook it, and why never smoked, pickled or cooked with ham.

Time
45 min + 10 min resting
Makes
About 1.3 kg / 2.9 lb (2 days for a 10 kg / 22 lb dog; almost 4 for a 5 kg / 11 lb dog)
Type
Main meal
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Trout for dogs with sweet potato and green beans
The recipe at a glance
  • 45 % trout fillet
  • 31 % sweet potato
  • 17 % green beans
  • 7 % carrot

Follows THE RULE. All 6 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.

Trout for dogs is a good alternative to salmon: it is a freshwater fish, it is at most fish counters all year round at a fair price (almost all of it is farmed rainbow trout) and its fat content sits in the middle, higher than hake or cod and well below mackerel. In this recipe it goes with sweet potato, green beans and carrot, in a fish dish that works as a main meal.

All the work is in the bones. Trout has a row of fine pin bones running along the fillet that, once the fish is cooked, pull out easily with your fingers; that is why here you cook it first and flake it afterwards, taking your time. The result is a moist, orange-colored dish with a mild fish smell that usually wins over even the dogs who leave sardines in the bowl.

Why it works

Trout provides high-quality protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and omega-3s (EPA and DHA): farmed trout has roughly the same amount as sardines, close to 1 g per 100 g, and about half as much as salmon. The teaspoon of salmon oil rounds out that supply. Sweet potato is the energy source, with fiber and beta-carotene, and it holds up to cooking without falling apart completely. Green beans and carrot add bulk and fiber with few calories. Eggshell offsets the phosphorus in the fish so the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio stays balanced.

Step by step

  1. Cook the sweet potato and carrot

    Cut the sweet potato and carrot into cubes of about 2 cm (¾ inch) and drop them into a pot of boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes, until a fork slides into the sweet potato with no resistance. After 7 minutes, add the green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces.

  2. Poach the trout gently

    Place the fillets skin side down in a wide skillet with a finger's depth of water. Cover and cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes, until the flesh is opaque (white, or pale pink if it is a pink-fleshed trout) and flakes when you push it with a fork.

  3. Remove the skin and every bone

    Let the trout cool for 5 minutes and peel off the skin. Run your finger down the center of each fillet, from head to tail: you will feel a row of fine pin bones. Pull them out one by one, then flake the fish, checking for any you missed.

  4. Mash and mix

    Drain the vegetables and mash the sweet potato with a fork, leaving some chunks. Mix it with the carrot, green beans and flaked trout, without stirring too much so the fish does not turn into a paste.

  5. Add the calcium and portion

    Let it cool for 10 minutes, sprinkle in the ground eggshell, mix well and divide into portions. The salmon oil goes on the bowl just before serving.

How much should I feed?

Approximate daily portion for a "spayed or neutered adult" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).

— g a day

Weight3 kg5 kg10 kg15 kg20 kg30 kg40 kg
Grams/day2253255507459251,2551,555

Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.

Energy
115 kcal/100 g
Protein
50 % dry matter
Fat
16 % dry matter
Calcium:phosphorus
1.4 : 1

Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.

Storage

Fridge: 2 days at most, in an airtight container; cooked fish keeps for less time than meat. Freezer: up to 2 months, in portions. Thaw in the fridge overnight and warm the portion in a water bath or in the microwave on low power, stirring so there are no very hot spots. The salmon oil always goes on after warming.

If you don't have…

You cannot find trout
Fresh salmon with no skin or bones, in the same amount; in that case leave out the salmon oil, because salmon is already fairly fatty
Your dog needs something lighter
Fresh hake or cod in the same amount; they are white fish with much less omega-3, so do not skip the salmon oil
You do not have sweet potato
Peeled, well-cooked potato in the same amount
Green beans do not agree with your dog
Zucchini in the same amount, cooked for only 5 minutes

Cooking tips

  • A whole pan-size trout weighs 250 to 350 g (9 to 12 oz) and yields a little under half that in clean fillet: for this recipe, plan on 1.2-1.4 kg (2.6-3.1 lb) of whole trout.
  • "Salmon trout" or pink-fleshed trout is rainbow trout fed with pigments that give it its pink color. It works just the same as white-fleshed trout in this recipe.
  • To feed it every day as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets: the recipe covers protein, energy, calcium and omega-3s, but not every vitamin and trace mineral.
  • Rotate fish with other proteins over the week: that keeps the diet more varied and makes it less likely your dog gets tired of one flavor.

Safety

  • Only plain cooked trout. Never trout cooked with ham or bacon (like Spanish trucha a la navarra), smoked, pickled, fried or breaded, and never leftovers from the family's trout.
  • Always cook it through: raw freshwater fish can transmit parasites, such as some tapeworms, as well as bacteria.
  • Check for bones one by one. Even though trout bones are fine and somewhat flexible, they can get stuck in the mouth or throat.
  • Do not give the head, tail or backbone: they are bones that splinter.
  • Grain-free
  • Freezer-friendly

Frequently asked questions

Can dogs eat trout?

Yes. Cooked, boneless, unseasoned trout is a suitable fish for dogs: it provides high-quality protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and omega-3s. Give it boiled, steamed or baked, never raw, smoked, fried or cooked with ham or bacon. Remove the skin if you want it lighter and check carefully for bones.

Which is better for dogs, trout or salmon?

Both are good as long as they are cooked and boneless. Salmon has more fat and roughly twice the omega-3s. Trout is lighter, usually cheaper and easy to find fresh, and its omega-3 content is similar to sardines. With a little salmon oil, as in this recipe, the meal is well covered.

Can my dog eat trout skin?

A piece of cooked, unseasoned skin is not dangerous, but it mostly adds fat. In this recipe we remove it because that makes it much easier to check the fillet for bones. What your dog should never eat is fried skin or skin from trout cooked with salt, frying oil or ham.

Can I use frozen trout for my dog?

Yes. Plain frozen trout fillets, with no glaze or sauce, work just like fresh and are usually cheaper. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, drain them well and cook them as the recipe says. What you should avoid is cooking it while still frozen: it cooks unevenly and the bones are harder to remove.

What's in it, in detail

If they liked it, try

The fridge list

The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.

Download the list (PDF)