Pan Fried Rainbow Trout Fillets with Pancetta and a Zucchini Tian

Total déjà vu.

Once again I’m standing in the kitchen with pig(pancetta) in one hand and fish (fresh rainbow trout) in the other and the pig and fish thing takes charge.

I turn around and there’s a zucchini, a potato and a couple of tomatoes and garlic cloves sitting there looking at me on the counter top.

My brain starts working and the games begin.

This turned out even better than I thought it would.

I got out my handy dandy mandolin and sliced the potatoes, tomatoes and garlic and zucchini. I stood them up in the individual gratins in layers and drizzled with olive oil, seasoned at the last with lots of freshly ground black pepper. They went into the oven for 35 minutes. In the meantime, I crisped the pancetta and removed it to a platter. The trout is floured and seasoned and cooks in the fat the pancetta released. Trout removed, Meyer lemon and capers added off the heat.

She shoots.

She scores.

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout with Zucchini Tian

Preheat oven to 400.

1 small zucchini
1 baking potato
3 small tomatoes
2 fat cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the zucchini, baking potato, garlic and tomatoes very thin. Put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in baking dish ( I did these individually, but it would certainly work just fine in a 8x8 pyrex dish). Start with potatoes, and take 4-5 pieces and stand them up, the sprinkle a bit of garlic, then a couple of sliced tomatoes, then garlic, then a bit of zucchini, then garlic and repeat til you use up all the veggies. Drizzle with olive oil, season with the black pepper and run in the oven. They cook about 35 minutes.


2 rainbow trout fillets
2 ounces pancetta, diced
Extra virgin olive oil
A cup of all purpose flour seasoned well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 Meyer lemon

Heat large cast iron skillet and put a good swirl of extra virgin olive oil in the pan over moderate heat. Add pancetta and cook til crisp. Remove from pan . Dredge trout in flour mix on both sides and put in hot skillet. Cook on both sides til golden brown. Remove trout from pan and remove pan from heat.

Add capers and lemon juice and stir to combine.
Plate trout and put caper lemon sauce over and garnish with pancetta. Serve tian on the side.

Serves 2.

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout Fillets with Pancetta and a Zucchini Tian