Trout Meunière

Here’s the classic way to prepare trout, along with four tasty seasoning variations. One trout per person makes a generous serving.

4 brook or rainbow trout (10 to 12 ounces each), cleaned and scaled
1 cup milk
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Rinse trout inside and out with cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. Soak trout in milk 10 minutes. On waxed paper, combine flour and salt. Remove trout from milk and coat evenly with flour mixture, shaking off excess.
2. In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until very hot. Add 2 trout and cook until just opaque throughout when knife is inserted at backbone, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining fish.
3. Pour off any fat remaining in skillet and wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Return skillet to heat; add lemon juice and cook 15 seconds. Add butter; cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and pour butter sauce over fish. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Trout with Brown Butter and Sage

Prepare as directed through Step 2. In Step 3, substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage for parsley and cook until butter is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Pour sauce over fish.

Trout Amandine

Prepare as directed through Step 2. In Step 3, omit parsley. Add 1⁄4 cup sliced almonds to skillet with butter and cook until almonds are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Pour sauce over fish.

Trout Grenobloise

Prepare as directed through Step 2. In Step 3, omit lemon juice. From 1 lemon, remove peel and white pith. Cut lemon into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices; discard seeds. Cut slices into 1⁄2-inch pieces. After cooking butter until foamy, add lemon, 4 teaspoons capers, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Spoon sauce over fish.

Trout with Cornmeal and Bacon

Prepare as directed through Step 2, substituting 1⁄3 cup cornmeal for flour in Step 1 and bacon drippings from 4 strips bacon for oil in Step 2. Omit Step 3. Garnish fish with crumbled cooked bacon.

Trout

Rainbow trout and brook trout are marketed at just the right size for single servings: between 8 and 12 ounces. They belong to the Salmonidae (salmon) family. Rainbow trout has a green or blue back, silvery sides covered with tiny dark spots, and a thin red strip running along each side. Brook trout, on the other hand, has a green-brown back and green sides, and its skin is mottled with yellow and red spots. Although trout is still caught in the wild, most of the trout in stores have been farmed in springwater–fed ponds. Trout is mild flavored and delicate and is best enjoyed when prepared simply as in our tasty recipes.