These five rainbow trout recipes take cooking one of our favorite fish to a whole new level.
Fried rainbow trout, baked rainbow trout, rainbow trout gumbo, rainbow trout fillets on the grill, or just about any other good trout recipe can start our mouths watering. This inimitable trout species has been instrumental in creating some of the best outdoor, wild game eating in our lives, and rightly so.
As fish recipes go, most rainbow trout meals are easy to prep, have a fast cook time, and include basic instructions. Most have stood the test of time and brought us back for more time and time again.
Has there ever been a better use for fresh herbs, garlic butter, olive oil, or lemon juice in the history of cooking? All kidding aside, freshly caught rainbow trout is one of our favorite things to eat.
But sometimes our tastebuds yearn for something different, and our cooking skills need to be bumped up a notch. Sometimes, we need something out of the ordinary.
With that in mind, here are a few ways to cook your catch that you my not have seen before.
1. Pan Seared Rainbow Trout
Add thyme and fresh lemon slices to the top of the trout as it simmers in an herb, butter and oil mixture and then finish it off with chopped parsley, chopped garlic, black pepper and sea salt. There's minimal prep time and just a few key ingredients for this one. Sometimes, flaky pan-fried trout can make for the perfect camping meal, coked right over an open flame campfire.
2. Smoky Rainbow Trout
Smoky barbecue sauce, paprika, and garlic start things off in this great recipe that comes from Down Under.
3. Smoked Rainbow Trout
The dry rub for this great recipe begins with brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. You'll need to let the fish cure for a few hours in the refrigerator. After about 90 minutes on the smoker, you will be in heaven. That means the total time for this recipe adds up to quite a bit, but the payoff is excellent.
4. Baked Trout With Cream Cheese
This interesting recipe includes some of the basics with salt, black pepper, and fresh garlic, but ramps it up a notch with a coating of a cream cheese/mayonnaise mixture and some corn to top it all off.
5. Wine Poached Rainbow Trout
Two of our favorites, asparagus and potatoes, star in this recipe which calls for two cups of white wine, a whole rainbow trout, and a good dose of fresh onions. Together they're poached until done. You can place the trout atop a fresh salad of greens and drizzle with some of the basics: lemon juice and olive oil along with salt, pepper, and just a bit of sugar.
A Note on Trout Nutrition
Fish meat has virtually no carbohydrates, is gluten-free, and generally beats out red meat when it comes to nutritional information. Whole fish, particularly whole trout, is one of the healthiest things we can eat, and that is considered a world-wide attitude.
However, the health factor can be affected by the ways that we cook it. If you consider deep-fried trout with butter and garlic, the fat and cholesterol content may elevate. Adding deep fried side dishes can mean a world of difference in nutrition. Just consider how you prepare fish and what you eat with it before you deem it a truly "healthy meal."
Clean up is rarely a huge concern when coking trout, and things like baking sheets can be kept tidy by using aluminum foil to belay the mess. Just know that cooked trout made by following one of these recipes will have you cleaning up your plate. Fish fillets from freshly caught trout can be used to make crispy fish tacos, pan seared steelhead trout, or fish cooked on the open fire caveman style.
Add a few of your favorite vegetables such as zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus and you've got yourself the makings of a fine meal. However you cook it, broiled, fried, or grilled, the fact remains that eating rainbow trout is an awesome experience.
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