For a long time, I was afraid to make fish for fear of messing it up because I didn’t know what I was doing. I remember the main issue being not knowing when it was done, and that often led me to overcook the fish.
If you’re new to cooking fish, this is a great recipe to start with because you will not have that problem. If you’re unfamiliar, rainbow trout is a very thin, tender, flaky mild-tasting fish that cooks quickly. It’s 3-4 minutes total in the pan and you’re done.
You can say this recipe has the best of both worlds – not only is it easy, but it also tastes like you put way more time into it than what’s required. I recently made this for friends who were trying to “get into fish” and they too agreed.
I’m going to throw it out there – this is my current favorite fish recipe and has been for a while. Stacy’s too.
If you’re in the Chicagoland area, Sunset Foods brings in its rainbow trout from Idaho every 4-6 weeks. I never miss it. For a lovely summertime meal, serve it with a vegetable of your choice, wild rice, and a chilled white wine of your choosing.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 rainbow trout fillets (about 1 pound total)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped (or two teaspoons dried)
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
- Heat oven to 250 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with paper towels.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Put half the trout in the pan (all if it fits), lightly salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Using a fish spatula, turn and cook another 1-2 minutes. If cooking in batches, transfer the cooked fillets to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, cook the remaining fillets, and add them to the baking sheet.
- Using the same pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the sage and pecans and cook, stirring until the butter is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Spoon the sauce over the top of the trout and serve.