Spring Trout & Fiddlehead
Submitted by jonellez
Pan-fried whole trout in a crispy flour-cornmeal coating served alongside buttered fiddlehead ferns. A classic springtime catch-and-cook meal that celebrates wild ingredients at their seasonal peak.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
15 minREADY
25 minThis is fishing season cooking at its most honest. Four freshly caught trout dredged in flour and cornmeal, fried until the skin crackles, and served with a side of foraged fiddlehead ferns dotted with butter. Doesn’t get more spring than that.
The double flour coating of regular flour and cornmeal gives the trout a crust with both crunch and grit. A dash of garlic powder in the dredge adds just enough seasoning without competing with the delicate flavor of fresh trout.
Fiddleheads need only three minutes in boiling water to go from raw and curled to crisp-tender. Don’t overcook them. A pat of butter on top and they’re ready to sit beside that golden fish on the plate.
Kitchen Tips
- Make sure the oil is properly hot before adding the fish. Cold oil means greasy, soggy coating instead of crispy skin.
- Fry the trout presentation side down first so the prettiest side gets the best color.
- Boil fiddleheads for a full 3 minutes. They need to be properly cooked for food safety, but any longer and they lose their snap.
- A squeeze of lemon over both the trout and the fiddleheads ties the whole plate together.
Ingredients
Directions
Clean the fish well in cold water.
Dredge in both flours to which salt, pepper and garlic powder has been added.
Fry in hot oil, turning once when skin is crisp.
Cook the fiddleheads in boiling water.
Boil for 3 minutes only.
Fiddleheads will be cooked, yet very crisp.
Remove from water and drain.
Dot with pats of butter.
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