Cold Trout in Orange Marinade
Submitted by allison
Cold trout in orange marinade is an Italian make-ahead classic: pan-fried trout steeped overnight in vermouth, orange, and lemon. Serve chilled the next day.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
20 minREADY
8 hrsThis is classic Italian antipasto cooking, the kind of dish Marcella Hazan would turn out from her tiny Venetian kitchen. Whole trout gets lightly floured and pan-fried in good olive oil, then drowned in a warm citrus marinade of dry vermouth, fresh orange juice, lemon, and strips of orange peel. Overnight in the fridge is the point, the fish takes on every bit of that sharp, aromatic liquor.
The clever bit is reusing the pan. After the trout comes out, the same oil softens the onion, then vermouth deglazes all that fish fond into the marinade. Nothing goes to waste.
Diagonal slashes in the skin help the marinade penetrate the flesh. Serve at room temperature, a good two hours out of the fridge, so the oil loosens and the citrus perfume opens back up.
Chef Tips
- Dredge the trout only right before it hits the pan. Flour sitting on wet fish turns pasty and won’t form a crust.
- Use an Italian dry white vermouth, not sweet red. Sweet vermouth will clash with the citrus and taste syrupy against the delicate fish.
- Peel the orange zest with a vegetable peeler and avoid the white pith. Pith turns bitter as it steeps in the marinade.
Variations
- Swap trout for whole branzino, mackerel, or small sole with the same method.
- Add a pinch of fennel seeds or a sprig of fresh thyme to the marinade for extra aromatic depth.
- Finish with a handful of toasted pine nuts and golden raisins for a Sicilian sweet-sour twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the gutted, scaled fish in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Put the oil in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium.
When the oil is hot, lightly dredge both sides of the fish in flour and slip into the skillet.
Don’t overcrowd the pan; if all the fish does not fit loosely at one time, cook it in batches, dredging it in flour only at the moment you are ready to put it into the pan.
Brown the fish well on one side, then turn it and do the other, the second.
Using a slotted spatula or spoon, transfer the fish when browned to a deep serving dish broad or long enough to accommodate all of it without overlapping.
Do not pour out the oil in the skillet.
With a well-sharpened knife, make two or three diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish.
Be careful not to tear the skin, and avoid cutting into the flesh.
Put the chopped onion into the skillet that still contains the oil in which you cooked the fish.
Turn on the heat to medium and cook the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold.
Add the vermouth and the orange peel.
Let the vermouth bubble gently for about 30 seconds, stir, then add the orange juice, lemon juice, salt, and a few grindings of pepper.
Let everything bubble for about half a minute, stirring two or three times.
Add the chopped parsley, stir once or twice, then pour the entire contents of the skillet over the fish in the serving dish.
Allow the fish to steep in its marinade at room temperature for at least 6 hours before refirgerating.
Plan to serve the fish no sooner than the following day.
Do serve it within 3 days at the latest to enjoy its flavor at its freshest.
Take it out of the refrigerator at least 2 hours before bringing to the table to allow it to come to room temperature.
Before serving, garnish it, if you like, with fresh slices of orange.
Comments
This recipe is from Marcella Hazen's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking."