Trout Almondine

Amsterdam is one of those cities where you can turn any corner and find yourself staring at a scene that looks exactly like a postcard.  It exceeded my expectations in so many ways.  Canals wind through the city lined with narrow, historic houses that lean just enough to make you wonder if they're architectural masterpieces or simply tired after several hundred years.🏡  There are countless bridges adorned with baskets overflowing with brightly colored flowers.💐 There are impossibly adorable cafes, incredible museums and bicycles - everywhere.🚲

One of the great joys of Amsterdam is that you don't have to work very hard to find something beautiful. Amsterdam gave me beautiful memories of wandering beside the canals, getting lost among masterpieces at the Rijksmuseum, taking in a show at the Carre theater, strolling through Vondelpark, discovering charming neighborhoods and eating our way through the city.  I came home with some new favorite foods, a few rounds of cheese, more than one sd card filled with photographs and memories that will last a lifetime.🧀

Maybe it's just me but I find it nearly impossible to spend that much time near the water and not crave something that lived in it.😅🐟  So naturally we set out to sample as much of the incredible seafood that Amsterdam had to offer as we could while we were there. We tried oysters, cod, razor clams, mussels, crawfish, lobster, crab legs, periwinkle(snails), langoustine, shrimp and clams vongole. 🦪🦞🦀🐚🐠  It was DELICIOUS!!😋 

Perhaps one of the greatest souvenirs that I brought home from Amsterdam was the reminder that good food doesn't have to be complicated.  Fresh ingredients.  Simple preparation.  Sitting at a table across from people that I love and enough time to sit down and enjoy it.  That's something Amsterdam understands beautifully.  So while I may not be able to recreate Amsterdam's canals in my backyard, I can bring a little bit of the Netherlands to my kitchen if I can keep this simple understanding in mind.  

I'll start with trout.  I'll add lemon, butter and herbs.  I'll pour a glass of wine and for just a moment, I'll be back on a canal in Amsterdam—watching the city glide by, listening for the bicycle bells and planning which delicious fish I'm going to eat next.😅  The best souvenirs aren't always the ones you put on a shelf.  Sometimes they're the ones you put on a plate.😋

Trout Almondine
2 trout filets
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch 
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter
⅓ cup sliced almonds
½ lemon, juiced 
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Pat trout dry with paper towels  Season with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with cornstarch on both sides.

Heat oil and 1 T. butter in  pan over medium heat. Add trout, skin side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip. Cook another 2-3 minutes.  

Transfer to a plate. ​

Wipe pan with paper towels.  Melt 3 T. butter. Add almonds and cook until toasted.

Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and parsley.

Place on serving plate and spoon sauce over each filet.

Ciao!

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