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/cornmeal 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
16 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 some 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

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