Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Trout with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce and Provencal Potato Salad


Trout fillets are one of the easiest and quickest fish to prepare. I liked to saute them in a non-stick skillet with the least amount of oil I can get by with. Pair them with a colorful potato salad and perfectly cooked green beans and you can have dinner on the table in well under an hour with a minimum amount of work. I’ve used fresh sage from my herb garden.



Whether you are visiting friends in Idaho who have a trout stream in their back yard, such as our friends in Island Park do,




or you catch mountain trout from the banks of the many beautiful streams and rivers, such as the Cullasaja, here in the mountains of western North Carolina



or you buy your trout at the supermarket, it’s perfect for a simple dinner.

Trout with Lemon Sage Butter
Adapted from Gourmet magazine

Soak trout fillets in milk for about thirty minutes. Remove and pat dry. Season the trout with salt and freshly ground black pepper and dredge lightly in quick mixing flour, such as Wondra. Sauté the trout in a small amount of neutral tasting oil, such as canola, in a non-stick skillet, turning once until they are nicely browned and done, taking care not to overcook them. Remove the trout and set aside. Meanwhile melt some sweet, unsalted butter in a small sauce pan. When the butter is melted, remove it from the heat and toss in a little finely grated fresh lemon zest and a few chopped fresh sage leaves. Drizzle the trout with lemon butter sage sauce.

Provencal Potato Salad
Adapted from Gourmet magazine

12 oz. small red or white potatoes, peeled or not, your choice
Splash of white wine, vermouth or hot beef broth
5 – 6 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 of a sweet red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 scallions, chopped, including some of the green tops
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons drained and chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Cut potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, and cook in gently boiling salted water until done, about ten minutes. Drain and toss immediately with a splash of white wine, vermouth or hot beef broth. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Quickly whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour it over the warm potatoes. Toss to coat. Add the bell pepper, onion, scallions, garlic, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley. Toss potatoes again and let stand about thirty minutes. Check for seasonings and serve at room temperature. Makes 2 servings.

35 comments:

  1. There is nothing like freshly caught fish.
    I wish I had some for dinner tonight! Lucky you!

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  2. Trout is one of my favorite things to eat-thanks for this great recipe!!

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  3. Freshly caught trout is fabulous. In our lakes here we have a landlocked salmon called Kokanee that would be delicious with this recipe as well:D

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  4. This sounds delicious, Sam! I think sage goes perfectly with trout...I used to make a rainbow trout w/ brown butter, sage & pecans that I'd forgotten about until I saw this. And love that potato salad...wish I was in France (and that's the second time I've said that in 5 minutes. Hmmm).

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  5. hey I want to be in france too...but thats beside the point....I can get some mighty fresh fish here in NYC but I cant get them right out of someones creel unless I stalk them...this sage butter is my good friend!

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  6. Sam,
    Thank you, as always, for visiting! That potato salad is beautiful as are your photos of Idaho. It sounds like you had a great time. Yes, I have been busy with the boys. Summer just took it out of me, but it is so good to be back. :)

    Amanda

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  7. Wow does this look delicious! I don't cook fish half as much as I should because it kind of scares me! But this sounds both simple and wonderful. And I love that potato salad, too.

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  8. What a wonderful meal! Fresh trout sounds super especially with the lemon butter sage sauce and I love your recipe for potato salad!

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  9. This is precious....my son caught a trout for me last year and I also did a post on that!!! I love that taste of fresh trout!!!

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  10. I've never cooked trout before, and freshly-caught fish must be a dream! That's what summer eating is all about!

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  11. I am afraid that I am going to be a complete copycat, and make this trout and that potato salad. I'd make the green beans if I had some, but I'll have to settle for squash!

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  12. Wow! Your friend can get fresh trout from the back yard? That's awesome!

    The meal looks so wonderful.

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  13. Trout, potato salad and green beans sounds like a wonderful supper! I just love fresh fish. And thanks for the potato salad recipe. :)

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  14. I never thought of pairing trout and sage. It sounds wonderful. My sage has done especially well this year and I don't have many places to use it.

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  15. I am going to have to go and find some trout! This sounds wonderful Sam.

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  16. Those photographs are beautiful. Makes one feel like she is there.

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  17. Two weeks ago I was over at friends in Sologne, 150 miles from Paris, and she offered to give me sage ... i decliend because I didn't see what to do with it, I am not usde to using this herb when cooking. So here I have a recipe! Thanks!

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  18. Trout season is coming up soon in my area of the country, and we are planning a trip up north to do some king salmon fishing, along with steelhead trout, so I will pack some lemon and sage for a meal...I do not utilize herbs as much as I should when it comes to fish, so thanks for the encouragement, and it looks great!

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  19. This sounds wonderful. Your photos are spectacular.

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  20. Your sage photo is beautiful. Mine does not have purple tops like yours. This is a nice easy fish recipe. I'm bookmarking this for future use, along with the potato salad.

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  21. SOO jealous.. freshly caught fish, and that gorgeous scenery, lovely. Your sage sauce sounds absolutely perfect with this!! Paired wonderfully with this tasty potato salad!

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  22. Trout! I haven't had it for a while...look forward to try your recipe, sounds and looks delicious, love the lemony flavor in fish, great combination with the potatoes. Love the river pictures as well :-)

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  23. Sam,
    What a wonderful way to prepare trout fillets. I'm always looking for a new recipe for fish. This Trout with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce and Provencal Potato Salad sounds really good. I may try it for the next luncheon I attend. Thanks for sharing this with us.

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  24. Sounds absolutely fabulous! Can't wait to try it.

    Avery Aames
    Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen

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  25. I'm in the middle of NYC so I have to rely on the fish mongers for my trout (I see people fishing in the East River - I kid you not - but it's a far cry from your beautiful North Carolina streams. LOL!)

    Anyway, this recipe is wonderful - simple yet healthy and flavorful. Thank you! (And thanks for dropping by our blog, too!)

    ~Cleo
    Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

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  26. Delicious Sam...Have a wonderful weekend, xv.

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  27. Trout is my husbands favorite fish. I love the sound of the lemon sage butter sauce. Delicious.

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  28. We love trout and used to trout fish -- haven't had any in "forever"! I may have to get some although store trout is nothing like fresh trout!

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  29. Trout! Yum! I like it better than salmon!

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  30. The combination of lemon, sage and trout makes me want to swoon! Great recipe, Sam. A question: why is the fish soaked in milk first? Thanks for visiting my blog and for your comment about pecan pie. Juno.

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  31. Although we don't have a trout stream in our backyard, we're fortunate enough to have a wonderful local supplier from neighboring Wisconsin. I made steamed fresh trout a little while ago and just the other day, had their smoked trout - so delicious! I'll have to wait until the weekend to pick up some more for this dish but it'll be worth it!

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  32. I've never been a fan of fish-- except for fresh trout. What a beautiful recipe!

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  33. Sounds great. I have a recipe for brown butter and sage pasta and chicken.
    Happy Twirls

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  34. My family took us fishing all of the time in the summer. I want to learn how to fly fish and try it out up in the WNC mountains and catch some of that great mountain fresh trout! ~ roz

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