Trout Meuniere

by Carl Behnke

2
Serves

10 min
Prep Time

25 min
Total

Ingredients

  • 2 dressed trout (headless and gutted)
  • salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 ounces whole butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 lemon (seedless)
  • 2 tsp fresh parsely (washed and finely chopped)

Directions

1. Dry trout with a paper towel. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Dust thoroughly with flour. Shake to remove excess.
3. Use a pan that is at least 1 inch larger in diameter than the fish are long. Heat the pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl until it shimmers.
4. Gently lay trout into the hot oil, working away from your body so that you don’t splash yourself with hot oil. Cook over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the fish. The thicker the fish, the longer it will take to pan-fry. Gently turn the fish over, again working away from your body. Continue to pan-fry on the other side for 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove the trout from the pan and hold in a warm over.
6. Pour the used vegetable oil out of the pan and discard when cool. If there are a lot of burned bits remove them with a spoon.
7. Add the softened whole butter to the pan. Swirl it with the spoon keeping it in motion for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to brown. Immediately add the juice of half a lemon and swirl it into the butter. Add parsley, pour over trout, and serve.

Notes

Clarified butter can be substituted for vegetable oil.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley and a wedge of lemon.