Sauteed Open Faced Trout
Submitted by billiejoe33
Pan-seared whole trout cooked open-faced in brown butter, topped with a lemon white wine sauce with shallots, garlic, chervil, chives, and thyme.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minWhole trout seared open-faced in a screaming-hot pan takes just 90 seconds per side. That quick, aggressive heat gives the flesh a golden crust while keeping the interior moist and flaky. The combination of butter and olive oil in the pan means you get brown butter flavor without the butter burning.
The sauce is built separately and comes together fast. Fresh butter browned until nutty, then shallots and garlic hit the pan for barely 30 seconds before lemon flesh and white wine deglaze everything. Three fresh herbs finish it off: chervil, chives, and thyme, each bringing a different layer of flavor.
Pour the sauce right over the fish on the plate. The acidity from the lemon and wine cuts through the browned butter richness perfectly.
Chef Tips
- Get the skillet very hot before adding the fish. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the trout steams instead of searing and you lose that crispy surface.
- Use the minced flesh of the lemon, not just the juice. The pulp adds body to the sauce and distributes citrus flavor more evenly than juice alone.
- Brown the butter for the sauce until it smells nutty and turns amber. Golden is too early; dark brown is burnt. Watch it closely.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
For the fish: In a large skillet at very high heat, melt butter and oil together.
When the butter starts to brown, add the fish flesh side down, open face.
Cook for 1½ minutes on each side and then remove to a plate.
Keep warm.
For the sauce: In a medium saucepan at high heat melt butter until brown, add shallots and garlic cook for 30 seconds, then add lemon and wine.
Finally add herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Pour sauce equally over the trout and serve.
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