Trout Amandine
Trout make a wonderful quick dish. The toasty almonds and delicate white meat seem meant for each other. Larger fish have easier to handle bones. Get the freshest trout possible. If indulgent, double the amount of almonds.
Yield 4 people
Ingredients
2 good-sized trout (4 if they are small) 3/4 a pound per person is ideal
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup lemon juice for deglazing, save rinds
1 tablespoon water for deglazing
lemon wedges and finely chopped parsley for garnish
| 1 | Soak trout in a dish of milk for 10 minutes, turning over a few times. Milk mellows the flesh and removes unwanted fishy tasting qualities. |
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| 2 | Place service platter in oven and preheat to 200°F. |
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| 3 | Pat fish dry. Salt and pepper trout, inside and out. |
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| 4 | Dredge fish in flour. |
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| 5 | Heat pan on medium-high heat. Melt half the butter to near sizzling. Fry fish 4 minutes per side. Look for the flesh to turn white. Remove fish to service platter and keep warm in oven. |
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| 6 | Put in the rest of the butter. When it sizzles, add almonds. After 30 seconds, turn nuts over cooking for 30 seconds more, until golden but not brown. |
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| 7 | Deglaze pan with lemon rinds, pushing them around with a fork, removing last bits of fish. Add water, and scrape any brown bits that stick to the pan. |
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| 8 | Presentation: pour almond mixture over fish. Sprinkle chopped parsley. Decorate plate with lemon wedges. Serve immediately. |
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notes
To eat whole cooked trout, take a knife to softly slice along the "lateral line" in the middle of the fish. Then separate flesh from bone by gently pressing knife up along the line, then again along the line pressing down. After finishing one side, lift the head up the skeleton off. Before discarding, remove the trout cheeks. If we have leftover fish, we cook trout and eggs the following morning.
