Pan-Fried Trout

It’s Fish Fry Friday, so let’s get cooking! My Pan-Fried Trout is so light, flaky and absolutely delicious. After you try this recipe, you’ll never cook fish any other way!

The trout is topped with a silky and luxurious lemon butter wine sauce that takes this fish to new heights. The pan sauce is simply the chef’s kiss and makes for an irresistible and satisfying bite. It’s made with lemon juice and zest, white wine, green onions, parsley and butter.

This recipe is quick and simple and is great for a weeknight dinner, date night and fancy enough to serve at your next dinner party! Rice or potatoes are the perfect accompaniment as you’ll want something to sop up all that glorious sauce. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Pan-Fried Trout

• 2 lbs trout fillets, boned and skin-on (approx. 4 fillets)

• 1/2 cup cornstarch (See Notes below)

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 6 Tbsp olive oil

• Chopped parsley leaves and lemon slices, as garnish

Lemon Butter Wine Sauce

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup white wine (See Notes below)

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, divided

• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• Pepper, to taste

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Remove the trout from the refrigerator, pat it dry with a paper towel and allow it to come to room temperature for 15 minutes. This will allow the fish to cook evenly once it hits the skillet.

2. While the fish is resting, add the cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper to a shallow dish or baking pan and whisk until combined. Set aside.

3. Dredge the trout, one fillet at a time, in the cornstarch mixture, ensuring both sides are well coated. Shake off any excess and transfer the trout to a baking sheet or plate.

4. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add 3 Tbsp of oil and give the pan a little swirl, distributing the oil throughout the skillet. Gently lay 2 trout fillets in the skillet, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes per side. Repeat this process with the remaining 2 trout fillets, unless you have a skillet large enough to accommodate all 4 portions.

5. Remove the trout from the skillet and place it on a plate or serving platter.

6. Reduce the heat to low and, to the same skillet, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, the white portion of the green onions and salt. Cook for 2 minutes or until the green onions have softened, stirring frequently throughout. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice, followed by the wine, and cook for 3 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

7. Turn off the heat, add the butter, green portion of the green onions, lemon zest and parsley to the skillet and season it with pepper. Give it a good stir and pour the lemon butter wine sauce over the trout. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices and serve and enjoy!

Notes:

1. Cornstarch Is the Way to Go: It has a lighter consistency and mouth feel relative to flour and crisps up perfectly during the frying process, without feeling heavy. However, if you don’t have cornstarch in your pantry, then you can simply substitute it on a 1:1 basis with all-purpose flour.

2. Sauvignon Blanc Reigns Supreme: For this recipe, I recommend using your favourite Sauvignon Blanc wine. It’s light bodied, crisp and refreshing, dry, tart and has a pronounced acidity, which enhances the brightness of this dish and pairs beautifully with the trout.