Sesame-Crusted Pan-Fried Rainbow Trout Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 whole trout (deboned if desired)substitute crappie or bream
- 3 Tbsp. plus 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp. sliced garlic
- 1⁄2 cup chicken stock
- 1⁄2 tsp. rice wine or sherry
- 1⁄2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp. Chinese black bean sauce
- 1⁄4 cup chopped scallions
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- Julienned scallions, for garnish
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the ginger and garlic for about a minute, or until just golden. Add the chicken stock, rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes, and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, sesame seeds, and salt in a bowl. In this mixture, dredge the trout, which should be wet for the mixture to adhere. Heat the remaining 1⁄2 cup oil in a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the trout until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. (You may need to do this in several batches. If residue starts to blacken in the pan, dump the oil in a safe container, wipe the pan clean, and replace with fresh oil.)
3. Place the trout on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper, and roast in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until just cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, bring the chicken-stock mixture to a simmer and whisk in the butter, black bean sauce, chopped scallions, and tomato. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Divide the sauce onto six plates and gently place a trout on each plate. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serves 6
Keep on Trocken
Trout loves Riesling, and Asian food loves Riesling, so this one’s a cinch. Steer toward the drier end of the *varietal’s range by looking for the word trocken on all those tough-to-decipher *German labels. Some standouts to seek out: The 2012 von Racknitz Nahe Trocken ($18) comes with a lot of depth, as does the Louis Guntrum Dry Riesling ($14), which packs the ideal balance of richness and tartness for this trout. For a cocktail: Mix equal parts Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and 12-year-old Scotch over ice.