Truite Aux Amandes (Trout with Almonds)

Directions

1. Clean the trout as you would any roundfish and trim the tails, but do not scale the fish (trout have such small scales as to make scaling unnecessary.
2. With a small sharp knife, cut a slice off the top and bottom of the lemon. Stand the fruit upright on a work surface and, following contours of the fruit, use a small paring knife to cut away the skin and bitter white pith. Cut crosswise into 6 slices ¼ inch thick; set aside.
3. Season the trout, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Dip trout in flour to coat completely and shake off the excess. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 3 trout and cook until golden brown on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until golden brown and tender when the flesh is pierced with the point of a knife, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm. Repeat to cook the 3 remaining trout.
4. Discard the butter and oil in the pan. Heat the remaining 10 tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and sauté until golden brown. Pour over fish. Place 1 slice of lemon on each trout. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.