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The old adage, "you are what you eat," plays an important role in determining what color trout meat should be. Different species of trout have different colored meat, depending on where they feed. Likewise, the same species of fish can feature a multitude of different colored meats, depending on where they feed. Is Trout Meat White? The vast majority of stocked trout species are known to have white meat. Stocked trout were raised in a hatchery and fed a steady supply of pellets. Since trout meat is highly dependent on the food source, the regular consumption of pellet-based foods results in the flesh is white. It is very easy for an angler to tell a stocked trout from a wild trout simply by looking at the color of the meat. Which Trout Has White Meat? Just about any species of trout that spends its entire life in freshwater lakes and rivers will have light-colored flesh. The most common types of stocked trout are brown and rainbow. It is not uncommon to find stocked trout in rivers, lakes, and streams throughout North America. They are part of an initiative designed to maintain trout numbers. If a stocked trout, sometimes known as a holdover, makes it pasts the first season then their meat starts to develop a pinkish tinge to it. Why Is Trout Meat White? The trout's meat color is completely dependent on the food source that they consume. Trout that grew up in the wild eat a wide variety of food sources. Different types of food sources ultimately affect the color of trout meat. For stocked trout, their diet consists mostly of pelletized food which provides no pigmentation to the flesh. As a result, when they are caught fresh out of the hatchery, their meat is white. Can Trout Meat Be White? As a general rule of thumb, any trout that is raised in a hatchery, will have light flesh. It always comes down to the diet. While wild trout are known to eat a steady supply of crawdads and other fish and insects, hatchery fish are fed a consistent supply of a pelletized food, which does not provide any form of pigmentation changes. Does Trout Stay White When Cooked? Although trout flesh will stay light when cooked, it does tend to get a bit darker, depending on how it is prepared. Experienced anglers tend to stay away from stocked trout simply because their flesh is less than desirable. It is not as tender and as firm as pink or orange-colored flesh that can be found in wild trout. Is Trout Meat Pink? A number of trout species are known to have pink meat. It is also possible for hatchery trout to develop pink meat if they managed to survive the first season. As a trout's diet of crawdads and other crustaceans increases, the color of their meat will gradually turn pink and may even turn a dark red. However, if the trout consumes a regular diet of mollusks, it can turn their flesh lighter in color. Which Trout Has Pink Meat? Two of the most common types of trout that are known to have pink meat, are the rainbow trout and the brown trout, after they have migrated out to sea. Most trout when living and freshwater lakes and streams will have a lighter pink colored flesh, but after they head out to sea and start consuming food from the open ocean, their flesh will begin to turn a dark pink almost red color. Why Is Trout Meat Pink? The color of trout meat is dependent purely on the food that the fish feeds off of. The number one source of food that causes a trout meat to turn pink, is crawdads and shrimp. If a trout is raised in an environment that has a steady supply of crayfish or shrimp, there flesh can turn a dark, rich pink color. Can Trout Meat Be Pink? Although it’s possible for freshwater trout to develop pink flesh, it is mostly only trout that are known to migrate out to sea that have a deep pink flesh. While many different sources of food can cause trout meat to turn pink, the number one cause is shrimp and crawdads. Even stocked trout can eventually turn pink if they managed to survive their first season in the wild. Does Trout Stay Pink When Cooked? One of the benefits of cooking trout, is that the color of the meat stays the same when cooked. That is, pink trout flesh when cooked is still pink. When you cook pink Trout meat, although it tends to stay within the pink scale, it does tend to get much darker. Is Trout Meat Orange? There are several species of trout that are known to have orange colored meat. In order for a trout flesh to turn orange, they need to consume a higher quantity of keratin-based foods. The most common type of trout that have orange flesh, are those who migrate out to sea, where crustaceans are plentiful. Which Trout Has Orange Meat? Just about any freshwater or saltwater trout can develop orange meat, depending on their local food source. The most common types of trout that are known to have orange colored meat, are cutthroat, steelhead, and sea trout. They get their darker colored meat as a result of a steady diet of keratin. Keratin is the number one component found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp, and crawdads. Why Is Trout Meat Orange? The most common cause of turning trout meat orange is the regular consumption of crustaceans like crayfish. While consuming mollusks, can lighten the color of a trout flesh, it is the regular consumption of keratin that turned their meat orange. When trout feed on crabs, shrimp, and crawfish, their flesh will eventually turn a dark orange color. This identifies them, in most cases, as having grown up in the ocean. Can Trout Meat Be Orange? Trout me can range in a wide variety of colors from white all the way to a dark reddish color. Orange is a fairly common color of fish to consume a steady diet of crawdads. Any trout who eats a regular diet of crustaceans, can have orange colored meat. The larger quantity of keratin that they consume, the darker that color will be. This color of the trout meat, is indicative of species that migrate out into the open ocean. Does Trout Stay Orange When Cooked? When orange trout meat is cooked, it will generally stay the same color. Although most trout meat tends to get darker when cooked, depending on the manner in which orange flesh is cooked, it tends to stay roughly the same color.

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