Trout Meuniere

In an earlier post, I talked about the fact that I didn’t like fish when I was young. The recipe that changed my whole way of thinking was Sole Meuniere. Julia Child tells a story in her autobiography, My Life in France, of her first meal when she landed on French soil with her husband, Paul. They had stopped for lunch and Paul had ordered the Sole Meuniere. “It arrived whole: a large flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.”
What’s not to like? Six tablespoons of butter between two people. Table for two, please.

Dover sole is becoming more available now, but several years ago when I decided to step out on a limb and try the recipe, boneless rainbow trout fillets were the best option. Quickly sautéed in melted butter, removed from the pan and the butter turns a nutty brown with capers, lemon juice and chopped parsley added at the last.

“Sputtering butter sauce.” Hello. That sounds wonderful.
It is.

Trout Meuniere
Adapted from Sole Meuniere recipe by Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

2 boneless rainbow trout fillets
A pinch of salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour on plate for dredging (I use all purpose whole wheat flour)
Couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs butter

Put cast iron pan over medium high heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper and dredge in flour on both sides. Shake off excess. Swirl olive oil in pan and add butter. When butter foams and subsides add the fish. Sauté about five minutes till nicely browned. Turn it over and sauté for 5 minutes till golden brown. As soon as done, put on plate and cover with foil.

3 tbs butter
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

In clean medium sized pan, add butter over high heat. Watch it closely. When starting to turn brown, remove from heat and as it darkens add remaining ingredients and stir. Pour butter over trout and serve.

Serves 2 very happy people

Trout Meuniere