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Commercial Trout Production in western North Carolina

Trout Cooking Recipes

Cooking Tips	Fried Trout	Grilled Trout
No Oil "Fried" Trout	Baked Trout 1	Baked Trout 2
Baked Trout 3	Broiled Trout	Blackened Trout
Hush Puppies	Trout Cookbook
Where to Buy North Carolina Rainbow Trout

Cooking Tips

The best fish products can be ruined in the kitchen. Rainbow trout, like other foods can be rendered unpalatable when prepared incorrectly.

Trout, like all other fish and seafood, is best prepared as fresh as possible. A "fishy" taste can be attributed to a lack of freshness and can ruin an otherwise enjoyable meal. Freshness can be detected in the grocery store simply by utilizing your sense of smell. Fresh trout have very little or no fishy smell. If you detect a strong smell, then the product is not as fresh as you would prefer.

The number one thing to remember in cooking trout is do not over-cook. Pay attention to cooking and heat recommendations. Marinating the trout in lemon juice, adding lemon juice, or using lemon pepper in the recipe helps eliminate the fishy flavor some people detest.

Fried Trout

Easy Fried Trout (For 2 pounds of North Carolina rainbow trout fillets)
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 egg
1 t. milk
1 c. flour (or 1/2 c. flour & 1/2 c. cornmeal)

Sprinkle fillets or whole trout inside and out with salt and pepper. Beat egg and blend in milk. Dip fish in egg/milk mixture and roll in flour or flour/cormeal mix. Place fish in frying pan with 1/8 inch cooking oil. Cook on moderate heat until golden brown on both sides. Cooking time: 10 minutes depending on thickness of fish.

c. = cup
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Grilled Trout

Preheat grill on high heat. Spray or brush fillet side of the North Carolina rainbow trout fillets lightly with oil. Salt, pepper, and season to taste. Place directly on the grill, fillet side down. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Spray or brush skin lightly with oil. Turn fillets over for 3-5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

No Oil "Fried" Trout

Crush 2 c. corn flakes in ziplock bag. Salt, pepper, and season North Carolina rainbow trout fillets to your preference. Place fillets in ziplock bag with corn flakes and shake to bread the fillets. Place on broiler pan, skin-side down, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

c. = cup

Baked Trout 1

2 pounds of North Carolina rainbow trout fillets
spray oil
salt
lemon pepper
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or brush the fillets lightly with oil. Place the filltes in a baking dish, skin down. Sprinkle fillets with salt, lemon pepper, and paprika. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. (You can "spice up" this recipe by substituting cayenne pepper for the paprika).

Baked Trout 2

2 pounds of North Carolina rainbow trout fillets
8 ounce can white-sauce (New England style) clam chowder
1 clove garlic (or equivalent)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fillets in baking dish or pan, fillet side up (skin side down). Follow clam chowder directions (with most canned clam chowders, add a can of water). Add garlic to clam chowder. Heat clam chowder in a pot to simmer. Pour clam chowder over trout fillets. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

The clam chowder in the baking pan can be thickened to make an excellent sauce to serve over the baked trout fillets.

*This recipe works well using a microwave. Microwave covered for 10-12 minutes until trout flakes easily with a fork.

Baked Trout 3

North Carolina rainbow trout fillets
Italian bread crumbs
seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, and/or lemon pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fillets in baking dish or pan, fillet side up (skin side down). Season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, and/or lemon pepper). Liberally sprinkle bread crumbs over the fillets to completely cover the fillets. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. The bread crumbs will turn light brown.

Broiled Trout

Salt, pepper, and season North Carolina rainbow trout fillets to taste. Place on preheated broiler pan 2 inches from heat. Broil 5 to 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Turn and cook 5 to 8 minutes until fish flakes easily with fork.

Blackened Trout

4 North Carolina rainbow trout fillets
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 T paprika
2 1/2 t salt
1 t cayenne pepper
3/4 t white pepper
3/4 t black pepper
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder

Preheat large, heavy skillet until very hot. Combine paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, and oregano in a small bowl. Dip fillets in melted butter, then in seasoning mixture. Place in hot skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until blackened.

c. = cup
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Hush Puppies

2 c. self-rising cornmeal
1/2 c. flour
1 egg
1 T lard (cooking oil can be substituted)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 c. milk

Mix ingredients. The consistency should be similar to peanut butter. Deep fry teaspoon-sized balls of the dough at moderate heat (300^oF) until golden brown.

c. = cup
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

Trout Cookbook

The United States Trout Farmers Association (USTFA) has published an excellent, 40-page trout cookbook with more than 80 recipes. The cost is $5.95 per individual copy. This price includes postage. For more than one copy, please request a quote. For more information or to obtain a copy, please write or call the following:

USTFA
111 West Washington St.
Suite 1
Charles Town, WV 25414-1529
304-728-2189
304-728-2196 Fax

Please send your comments about these recipes to: Skip_Thompson@ncsu.edu

North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran's status. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.

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