Another easy weeknight meal packed with flavor. This trout dish has it all. You have the beautiful sweet, tender, flakiness of the trout with the crunch factor of the almondine crust, the tanginess from the fresh lemon, the saltiness from the capers with the earthy floral notes of the parsley. And to make it even better, from prep to dinner is less than 30 minutes. Wow. Racheal Ray aint got nothin on this dish. 😉

When I was first learning to cook, one of the first dishes I learned was trout almondine. In the classic preparation of trout almondine, you take a whole trout (head and tail attached), filet it, season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, lightly dust it in flour, and pan fry it in butter. When done, remove it from the pan, add sliced or slivered almonds to the pan and brown them. Pour the butter almond mixture over the top of the fish and serve with lemon wedges. This is a fabulous way to fix trout. I use to fix it this way all of the time. When I would go trout fishing and keep part of the catch, this was the way we would prepare it. As I got older, however, I wanted more flavor in my food. I also fell in love with capers, which also work well with fish of all kinds.

When I was at the market last week, I noticed they had fresh farm raised trout. Now farm raised trout isn’t as firm or flavorful as wild trout but Texas and Oklahoma are in a drought and I haven’t been fly fishing in several years. Hence, wild trout was simply out of the question and farm raised trout is a pretty good option. When I saw the trout, I realized I had not eaten trout since the last time I went fly fishing. It made me smile as some of my fondest memories are on a cold mountain stream early in the morning fishing for trout. It is peaceful and serene yet full of life and the beauty of nature.So, I bought the trout knowing I would be making tho dish.

This dish differs from the classic trout almondine because I use an egg wash and almond batter, not to mention the addition of the capers. It brings out tremendous flavors that compliment the mild flavor of the trout. Next time you find yourself hankerin for trout almondine, give this recipe a try. It definitely hits the spot.

Ingredients

• 3 whole trout filets 8 oz. each
• 1 stick butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 12 oz package almond slices
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 lemon sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3 Tbsp capers
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F

Make the egg wash by cracking 2 eggs and beating them with 1/2 cup milk.

Crush the almonds and place in a shallow bowl of a serving dish. Add 1 cup four and combine. Take the other 1/2 cup flour and put in a separate shallow bowl or serving dish. Add, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground fresh black pepper and combine.

Season the trout filets, both inside and out. Lightly dust outside with the seasoned flour and dredge in the egg wash. Next, roll trout in the almond flour mix making sure you get a good coating of the almonds and flour. Set aside and repeat the process with the remaining filets.

Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the stick of butter and melt. When the butter has melted add the battered trout filets.

Pan fry the filet for 3 minutes on one side or until almonds begin to turn a light brown. Flip and pan fry the other side for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove from heat and finish in the oven at 350 F for roughly 3 minutes.

Remove trout filets from skillet and plate. Being careful not to burn yourself, return the skillet to the burner on medium heat. Add the lemon juice, capers plus 1 tsp flour. Cook over medium heat for approximately 1 – 2 minutes for the flour to cook out and the sauce to thicken to the point of coating a spoon. Remove from heat.

To plate: Place 3 lemon slices on top of each trout filet. Spoon sauce over the top of the lemons and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with a veggie and either a rice pilaf, potatoes or couscous. Enjoy.