Simple Rainbow Trout Recipe (Maple Balsamic Glazed) (2024)

FAQs

What do you soak trout in before cooking? ›

I use a simple brine recipe of 2 cups water, 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (coarse grain) and 1 Tablespoon brown sugar. You can add in aromatics or flavor in the form of fresh herbs (dill is a favorite) or fresh garlic and onions. Place the trout in the brine and set it in the refrigerator.

Put a large frying pan on a medium heat. Season the trout on both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a good lug of olive oil to the pan and scatter in the thyme tips, followed by the trout, skin-side down (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Press down on the fish with a fish slice to help the skin crisp up.

Try smoked trout with a dish of boiled potatoes with lemon and mustard dressing, or serve it on top of stewed beans with almonds. It's especially good with pasta, roast tomatoes and basil, too.

Rainbow trout are almost always cooked and served with the skin on for added flavor. Since it is a lean, white, flaky fish, with mild flesh that doesn't have the richness or oils of other fish like salmon, so it tastes less fishy than most fish.

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.

Eating the skin along with the flesh helps you consume the most nutrients possible from fish. By removing the skin and eating only the flesh, you'll miss out on the many beneficial nutrients and oils in the skin, as well as those found in the mucus and layers of flesh just below the skin.

A good rule of thumb is to cook the fish to an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees. Try the 10-minute rule, which says you should measure the fish at its thickest point, and cook it for 10 minutes per inch, turning halfway through the cooking time.

Smoking trout can be a delicious way to preserve and consume your catch, but fish smoked without proper salting and cooking can cause foodborne illness—it can even be lethal. Many dangerous bacteria can and will grow under the conditions normally found in the preparation and storage of smoked fish.

Try using sweet fruit woods like pear or apple, or add a few pecan chips to fruit wood. Make sure the chips have been submerged in water for at least 4 hours before draining them and adding the damp chips to the smoker. To keep fish from drying out, create a moist smoker environment.

On arrival at the smokehouse it is dry cured with sea salt and dark molasses sugar before being smoked over a blend of Oak and Applewood sawdust. The trout is ready to eat, and has a delicious flavour with a firm flesh that is not over smoked.

How to prep trout for cooking? ›

Because trout are delicate fish, people often cook them whole. Some people opt to remove the scales before cooking. To remove the scales, hold the knife perpendicular to the fish and scrape the surface from tail to head. Wrap the gutted, cleaned trout in aluminum foil to help keep moisture in during cooking.

You should never wash raw fish in your sink, either.

Remove the scales from fish if a recipe calls for it, but leave your fish unrinsed to prevent your kitchen from becoming a breeding ground for germs.

Mix the salt and sugar with a gallon of water and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Submerge the trout in this brine and put in the fridge, covered, for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Soaking fish in brine or water before cooking to remove any muddy taste is not necessary. We prefer never to wash or soak whole or filleted fish in water or any other solution (except a marinade) before cooking as it affects the texture, and ultimately, the flavour of the fish.

Dissolve salt and sugar in a bowl of water. Combine with any desired seasonings (such as barbecue spice, lemon pepper, chili powder, etc.) Let the solution cool to room temperature. Submerge fish in brine and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.