Recipe Review: Sauteed Trout with Pecans

Sauteed Trout with Pecans
Recipe Link: Epicurious

Trout fillets - in this case, Great Lakes rainbow trout
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
5/8 stick of butter
3/4 cup chopped, raw pecans
1/3 cup parsley

Preparation
This may come as a surprise, but fish are really popular in the Great Lakes region. Like, really, really popular. People catch them and everything. It's quite a sight.

This is a good thing for me because I love fish, but I don't really know that much about freshwater fishes or what to do with them. I was born in Florida, so aside from catfish, pretty much all the fish I've had during my life came from the sea. Time to change that!



Ahhhhh, beautiful innit it? For this recipe, I'm using Great Lakes rainbow trout, one of many species introduced to the region due to its popularity. I can definitely see why it's called "rainbow." The scales have a lovely sheen to them that... wait, scales? Oops! I forgot to get the fish scaled at the supermarket! *SIGH* One more barrier between me and my food!

Fortunately, scaling a fish isn't difficult, just messy. You're going to want to head outside with the fish, a plate, and a butter knife. Set the plate down on a flat surface and hold down the fish. Yeah, it's slimy, deal with it. Scrape the knife against the fish from where its tail USED to be to where its head USED to be. The scales should start popping off and clumping on the knife as you go. Don't be afraid to really work that knife! Fish have tough skins.

Oh, and sorry for the lack of pictures of my scale-encrusted, slimy fish hands.



When you get the fish back upstairs, run it under cold water to wash off any scales that are stuck to it. Look out for shiny spots, too! Those are leftover scales - pop them off with a vengeance. When done, the skin should look as above - roughly the same color, but, you know, not scaly! Beautiful, beautiful fish - time to spice it up!



Take the 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, enough salt for your liking, and some fresh-ground black pepper and rub it on both sides of the fillet. Oh, look at that. Who knew fish could be made to look better than it did to start with? But we're not done with it!



Dredge the fillet (both sides!) in all-purpose flour. This will help use get that nice, golden brown color that drives folks wild. Don't coat the flour on too thick! Just make sure the coat is nice and even. You know, like an actual coat. That you wear.



Now that the fish is fully dressed, it's time to cook! Melt a quarter-stick of butter in a large pan over medium heat. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: The actual recipe calls for a half-stick of butter, but commenters on Epicurious recommend halving the butter in the whole recipe. ALWAYS READ THE EPICURIOUS COMMENTS! Also, the recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I'm using salted because I'm too lazy to head out and too cheap to actually buy more butter.

Anyways! Toss the fish on the pan, flesh-side down. Let it sit and cook for about four minutes. Note that I'm also using a cast-iron pan. This is essential as it enhances the whole "Upper Peninsula" feel of the dish.

But otherwise it's not crucial.



While the fish sizzles, let's deal with the pecans. Dump them out on a cutting board and break out a big-ol' knife or Slapchop and show them what for!



The recipe doesn't specify how chopped they should be, but if you can describe them as "crumbles" then they're probably OK.



After about four minutes, flip the trout over and cook it for about 90 more seconds. Golden brown goodness! So close you can IT'S DONE!!!



Now THAT'S the reason why you cook fish. Try to avoid eating it, because you're not quite done yet. Rinse the pan and then toss it back on the stove. Now it's the pecans' turn!



Thrown in 3/8 stick of butter and toss in the pecans. I like lots of seasoning, so I go nuts with the salt and pepper. Sizzle the pecans for about 2 minutes until the whole mixture becomes golden brown. Take the pecans off the heat and throw in enough parsley to your liking.



Spoon the pecans out over the trout and the dump the remaining butter sauce over the whole lot. Oh man, if this tastes half as good as it looks...

BETTER actually! Seriously, this dish is nigh MIND-BLOWING in how tasty it is. It's spicy, peppery, buttery, and sweet with a wonderful texture - the crunchiness of the nuts perfectly complements the soft flesh of the fish. Really, its the pecans that make the dish something special. The fish is spicy and delicious on its own, but the addition of the butter and pecans sends this to the moon. The flavor moon. With craters of deliciousness.

Serve this up with seasonal vegetables and you'll have a summer dish that will impress anyone. It's fast, cheap, and easy to boot. Great Lakes fish is a great dish! (Ugh, I hate writing conclusions.)

Rating: 9 out of 10