If you are lucky enough to go fishing during an outing and are even luckier by catching a fish you must then deal with making it edible by cleaning (this is the easy part). Check out the video in this post to see how simple it is to clean a small fish such as a Brook or Rainbow Trout. When cooking fish always use as few additives as possible and avoid overcooking - the tail end will always cook fastest. Overcooking can be prevented by elevating the tail over a piece of wood like a smoker block or by moving the tail to the coolest part of the frying pan and by paying attention to the texture of the fish while cooking. If you are having other foods with your fish cook the most dense foods first (potatoes, carrots, etc.) and cut them into small evenly-sized pieces. Cook the fish towards the end of the cooking session so that everything finishes at about the same time. Eat well and don't be afraid of your food!
Pan-Fried Trout
(Adapated from whatscookingamerica.net)
2 whole Trout (1-pound each), cleaned (head, gills and skin can be on or off)
2 whole Trout (1-pound each), cleaned (head, gills and skin can be on or off)
Rinse the cleaned fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut a few diagonal slashes along each side of the fish.
1 plate of all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Roll the cleaned trout in the seasoned flour until covered.
2 ounces butter
2 ounces canola oil (or other high smoke point oil)
Mix butter and oil in pan and melt/heat. Heat the butter in a frying pan until bubbling and then fry the trout for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Cook trout until browned or until internal temperature reads 140F. Perfectly cooked fish is nearly opaque, should be very moist and will flake easily with a fork. Makes 2 servings.