The Fish King

A glint of silver and a flash of fractured light--blue, green and red--mark the spot where a moment before a fish had been. In the dappled fast-water world of mountain streams, the rainbow trout reigns supreme. It is a fish that stirs the imagination of fishermen and cooks alike.

Named for the “rainbow” band that runs the length of its olive-green skin, the rainbow trout is America’s most popular sport fish. Wild trout are prized by fly fishermen for their fierce spirit and wily nature (and “catch and release” is the honored rule). Plentiful fish from hatchery-stocked lakes and streams are the mainstay of many a family fishing trip--and many a fish fry. And those with a taste for “catching” trout without a hook can find farmed fish at almost any seafood counter.

The culinary appeal of rainbow trout is simple: The flesh is mild and tender, and the bones are few and easy to remove. The small, consistent size of farmed rainbows makes offering uniform portions a breeze. Whole or in fillets, this fish holds up well in a variety of recipes and techniques. It can be baked, boiled, poached, grilled, steamed, pan-fried--about the only preparation not well suited to the trout is stir-frying, because quick stirring over high heat breaks up the flesh.

Farm-raising trout allows producers to easily control growth and provide fish that are consistently sized. Generally weighing 3/4 to 1 pound each, these trout offer a perfect single-serving size.

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Farmed fish have a somewhat milder flavor than wild trout. They also have a consistent flavor from fish to fish and season to season, whereas wild trout, depending on where they are from and what they’ve been eating, can have varying degrees of flavor intensity. Flesh color varies as well, from creamy white in farmed rainbows to a deep salmon-pink in some wild fish. It’s no coincidence that trout are members of Salmonidae, the same family as salmon. They are very similar in many ways--body shape, flesh type, bone structure--and, in fact, large trout are interchangeable with salmon in recipes.

With a lower oil content than salmon, farm-raised rainbow trout have only 138 calories per 3 1/2-ounce serving, 59 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams total fat and .9 gram of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Figures for wild trout vary, depending on where they are from, but they will have fewer calories and less fat, including omega-3s, than farmed.

Cooked whole, possibly with a stuffing, the fish makes a generous serving. Some find eating a whole fish needlessly intimidating. It’s easy. Simply cut the top fillet of the fish down to the backbone, then lift off and discard the whole backbone with ribs, tail and head (if still attached). The remaining fillet sits whole on the plate, ready for carefree eating.

Trout fillets will weigh 1/4 to 1/3 pound each, a perfect size for pan-frying or broiling. (If your seafood market has only whole trout, ask to have it filleted.) The easiest way to cook fillets is also one of the best. Simply coat the fillets in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then pan-fry to a golden brown.

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To make a quick sauce, transfer the cooked trout fillets to a plate and cover to keep warm. Then add a little white wine or lemon juice to the pan, with a nut of butter if you like, along with chopped fresh herbs, capers, thinly sliced mushrooms--whatever you like--and cook just to heat, then spoon over the trout. For hearty appetites, serve two fillet portions, or accompany one fillet with plenty of sauteed or steamed vegetables alongside.

Because of its mild flavor, trout benefits from assertive companion ingredients, such as capers, dill, green or sweet red peppers, ginger, lemon and so on. Coating the fish in cornmeal instead of flour before pan-frying creates an incomparably nutty, crunchy coating for this delicate fish. Use your imagination. Add some of your favorite ingredients and create your own culinary version of trout.

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Flavors from the Mediterranean coast--olive oil, peppers, cumin and garlic--are a delightful foil for the delicate flesh of trout. If you like, replace the trio of peppers with a single large sweet red, green or yellow pepper.

THREE-PEPPER TROUT

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 medium sweet yellow pepper, cored and sliced

1/2 medium sweet red pepper, cored and sliced

1/2 medium green pepper, cored and sliced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Dash ground cloves

Salt, pepper

4 large trout fillets, to equal 1 1/2 pounds total

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet. Add garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add sweet yellow, red and green peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, cloves and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet. Fry trout fillets, skin-side down, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn fillets and spoon peppers mixture over. Cover skillet and cook over medium-low heat until trout are opaque through thickest part, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer trout and peppers garnish to warmed dinner plates and serve. Makes 4 servings.

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The thin skin of trout not only is edible but also a tasty contrast to the tender flesh. Here the skin cooks to delicate crispiness in a one-sided cooking method. A non-stick pan makes frying tidy, but a standard skillet may also be used.

CRISP-SIDED TROUT WITH GINGER SAUCE

4 large skin-on trout fillets, to equal 1 1/2 pounds total

2 teaspoons oil

1 bunch green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake or white wine

Dash red pepper flakes

Cut 3 shallow diagonal slashes in skin side of each trout fillet. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet and add fillets, skin-side down (2 at time, if skillet is not large enough). Cover and cook over medium-high heat until tops of fillets are opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking until skin is crisp and brown and flesh is opaque through thickest part, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Flip fillets, skin-side up, onto 4 warmed dinner plates. Add green onions and ginger root to skillet and cook, stirring, over medium heat until tender, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sake and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until hot, about 30 seconds longer. Pour sauce over trout fillets and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

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Stuffed trout recipes may be a dime a dozen, but this one stands out from the crowd with nutty wild rice and zesty orange. If you like, remove the trout heads and tails before stuffing.

TROUT STUFFED WITH WILD RICE

1 large orange

1/2 cup wild rice

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely diced day-old bread, crusts discarded

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 to 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

4 (3/4 pound) whole cleaned trout

Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from orange and reserve. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice. Add enough water to orange juice to make 1 1/2 cups liquid. Bring liquid to boil with dash of salt. Stir in wild rice. Return to boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until tender to bite, about 40 minutes. Carefully drain off any remaining liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in bread and parsley. Saute another 3 minutes, then remove skillet from heat. Add wild rice, reserved orange zest, salt and pepper to taste and enough chicken broth to moisten.

Rinse trout and wipe dry with paper towels. Season to taste inside and out with salt and pepper. Spoon 1/4 of stuffing into each trout. Place trout in lightly buttered baking dish and brush fish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake at 350 degrees until fish are opaque through thickest part (just behind head), 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to warmed dinner plates and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

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This recipe takes advantage of trout’s versatility. Poached fillets are paired with crisp greens, toasted pine nuts and sun-dried tomato dressing. Any seasonal vegetables can be added. Slivered almonds can take the place of pine nuts.

TROUT SALAD ITALIENNE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO DRESSING

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 bay leaf, crushed

Salt

4 trout fillets, to equal 1 to 1 1/2 pounds total

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 head romaine or red leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomato

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

To prepare salad, pour about 1 1/2 inches water in large skillet and add wine, peppercorns, bay leaf and dash of salt. Bring to boil and simmer 2 minutes. Add trout and poach over medium heat until trout are opaque through thickest part, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and place fillets on paper towels to cool.

Scatter pine nuts in cake pan. Toast in oven at 350 degrees until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking pan occasionally so nuts brown evenly. Set aside.

To make dressing, combine lemon juice, sun-dried tomato, mustard and salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Whisk until salt has dissolved. Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly so that dressing thickens slightly. Adjust seasonings to taste. Set aside.

Whisk salad dressing to mix and toss with lettuce in large bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste. Arrange greens on 4 chilled plates. Discard skin from trout fillets. Divide trout into large pieces and arrange over greens. Scatter onion rings, pine nuts and capers over salad and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.