Tales from the Kitchen: Trout Almandine

One of my favorite pastimes is fishing on the Klamath river or, frankly, any fast water river. It is the time when you don’t think about any problems; it is so peaceful and beautiful. A classic recipe is Fish Almandine that uses the meunière style of cooking. Meunière is where the fish is first coated in flour, then pan fried and served with lemon juice, butter and parsley. Toward the end some toasted almonds are added to bring an extra layer of flavor.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 4x 8 oz. trout

• 8 tsp. of flour

• 4 tsp. of salted butter

• 1 cup chopped parsley

• Juice from 2 Meyer lemons

• 1 cup blanched sliced almonds

Preparation:
Step 1: Clean the trout. Leave the bones, but no head. Then coat with flour.

Step 2: Put the butter in a large cast iron saute pan.

Step 3: Cook the trout to golden brown.

Step 4: Plate the fish.

Step 5: In the pan with the butter, add the almonds and saute to golden brown. Then add the chopped parsley and lemon juice.

Step 6: Pour the almonds over the trout, then serve it. Wild rice is a good combination.

Bon Appetit!
Alain Guichard