Trout Is Tasty Fare

Caught Or Bought, Trout Is Tasty Fare

AZBW | Jan 01, 20190

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From Paleo Leap

There's not much that can hold a candle to a dinner of freshly caught trout. And, we have saved you the hassle of scouring the internet to find delicious recipes worthy of such a prized fish.

First things first, you'll need to catch (or if not an angler, buy) a trout. You can just use a spinning reel if that's all you have, but once you try fly fishing and tie your own flies, you'll be addicted. Though you can also use farm-raised fish for these trout recipes, part of the magic behind them is the story of sneaking up on these elusive predators lurking in deep pools. Or, here in Arizona, check with the experts at Arizona Game & Fish Department.

Trout Basics

• Cleaning - Remove the entrails by slicing the belly from the anus up to the throat. Use an old toothbrush to clean the the blood from the vein along the backbone. Use cold running water to clean the fish thoroughly.

• Scaling - If it's a really large trout, it may help to scale the fish. There's no need to do so for smaller trout.

• Preparation - At this point, you can leave the fish as it is or remove the gills, head, or fins according to the recipe preparation. If you feel adventurous, you can even try butterflying the fish.

• Cooking - Don't worry about the bones. Fish that is properly prepared will easily fall off the bones. Avoid over-handling the fish (flip only once) as the skin is delicate and the flesh may flake apart.

• Either grilling or baking whole fish is not very hard after you've done it once. The skin is succulent and cooking the fish with the bones will make the meat taste even better. Some of the benefits of buying your fishes whole are that they will be cheaper, fresher and easier to get wild caught.

• I'm sure the first time you serve this you'll impress your relatives because the meal will look like what they serve in fancy restaurants. You shouldn't be afraid of the bones. Well cooked fish will fall off the bone and it won't be a problem.

• A rule of thumb is to be more delicate in the cooking process, so you want to go longer and slower. The recipe presented here is a grilled trout recipe, but if you wanted to bake it instead, you would put it in a 375 F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When the meat falls off the bone it's ready.

• All the work of gutting, scaling and removing the gills should be handled by your fishmonger so you can focus on your recipe. However, you may be doing this yourself as a part of the joy of catching!

• The best fishes to cook whole are salmon and trout. They naturally have a lot of fat and will be more forgiving if you overcook them a bit. Sea bass and grouper are other good choices.

• Put the fish in a snug-fitting dish so the cooking juices can stay on the fish while cooking. Interesting flavors can be built by putting vegetables under the fish and inside the cavity while cooking. Think lemon slices, fennel, garlic, onion, parsley, dill, carrots, thyme, and rosemary. Let your creativity be the guide!

• It's also very Paleo to eat the fish whole and you can experiment with eating absolutely everything, including the eyes. As an added bonus, you can keep the bones to make fumet (fish stock).

• Without further ado, here is the main recipe, which serves 2 people.

Grilled Trout With Parsley, Dill And Lemon

Ingredients

1. Two 3/4 lb whole trouts, scaled, gutted and cleaned, (don't stress about the size, medium is a good gage)

2. Butter or coconut oil;

3. 1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley;

4. 1 bunch fresh dill;

5. Zest of one lemon;

6. 2 lemons, one sliced and the other halved;

7. Salt and pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Preheat your broiler.