Trout Amandine

Ahhh... summer vacation.  I was lucky enough to have spent two weeks on vacation with my family in Ohio and Northern Michigan this summer and I have to say --- it was glorious.  It's always good for my soul to get out of my usual routines for a while and experience new places, foods and activities.  But even more restorative than nightly trips to the ice cream shop was the opportunity to reconnect with some of these wonderful members of my family that I haven't seen since pre-pandemic.   

It's always interesting to me to witness how someone chooses to fill their day when they're on vacation from work responsibilities, household maintenance tasks and other obligations that occupy their time.  For my family - fishing has always been something that they like to do on vacation.  🎣 

Fishing is a favorite pass time when we visit my parents on Lake Erie.  The kids are almost guaranteed to catch a variety of catfish, bluegill and bass off of the end of their dock. And as an added bonus for those of us who are slightly worm-a-phobic - it's the only place that I know of that I can bait my hook with a hot dog and still catch fish.🪱😅

This year, my family stepped up their vacation fishing game by venturing out into Lake Michigan on a charter in search of salmon and trout.  And they found them! 🐟

I chose not to participate in the off shore fishing adventure with the rest of my family this year but, I did get to share in the experience through pictures - and then through my stomach.😂  The fish that they brought back was delicious!

Thanks to the family fisherman (and fisherwoman 😂), on the days following the chartered trip, and some very talented cooks, I got to taste the trout from Lake Michigan.  I got to sample smoked, baked and grilled trout.  I tried it with asiago cheese and rosemary, topped with panko and parmesan and drizzled with lemon and fresh dill.  It was ALL good.  😋

The trout that I buy from my local fish market in rural Georgia is different than the trout that we ate on our vacation.  It's still very good but it lacks the personal connection that I have with my meal when I know that someone in my family caught it themselves. 😂  Although they share a name, it's hard to compare the trout from streams with the lake trout from the waters of Lake Michigan, because they're very different from each other.

My recipe for trout amandine was tested on traditional rainbow trout filets - long before I ever even knew that a lake trout even existed.  💁🏻‍♀️  The buttery almond topping and fresh herbs are the perfect compliment to the flaky white fish.  And now that I've tasted lake trout - I feel like it would be a great topping to try on that as well.  If I'm being completely honest - I feel like most fish is better with a citrusy amandine topping. 

Trout Amandine
4 skin on trout filets
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
​1/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Pat filets dry  with paper towels.  Season with 1 t. salt and pepper.  

Pour flour into a dish.  Dredge both sides of fish in flour.  

Heat 1 T. oil in skillet.  Place 2 filets in pan, skin side down, cook 2 minutes.

Flip filets and cook another minute.  ​Transfer filets to a platter.  Repeat with remaining oil and filets.

Add butter to skillet and toast 1-2 minutes. 

Stir in almonds and cook until golden.

​Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon zest and juice and 1/4 t. salt. 

Pour sauce over filets.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

So, for my parents who graciously agreed to take the remainder of the trout home from our trip and store it in their freezer - you need to defrost some trout and try this recipe.  😂
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Ciao!

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