Fish out of Water

Pan Fried Trout w/ Orange-Sage Butter and Sauteed Asparagus and Onions

So I am fully aware that it has been a long time since I last posted.  Probably long enough that I could have raised this trout myself and cooked it up in time for this post.   In truth, I cooked this dish nearly a month ago and am just getting around to posting.  I also have several more dishes that have been sitting in my queue, so those will be on their way shortly too.  The main reason for the delay has been the lack of a properly working computer to post on.  My old iBook has now been put out to pasture and I am the proud parent of a new iMac.  So from here on out you can anticipate regular posts without me shading out for weeks at a time with no explanation. 

Another new addition to this whole blog thing is my Nikon D5100 camera.  So expect to see the photos step up their game as well.  Up to now all my pictures have been taken with my iPhone.  Now many of the shots will still be taken via iPhone (mostly the quick kitchen cooking shots) though I do hope to use my DSLR more and more - however it is a bit tricky and risky to do in an active kitchen.

 

Well, enough with the explanation, lets get back to the food.

After work the other night I took a trip over to Reading Terminal Market as I occasionally do (though not nearly often enough).  Now for those unfamiliar to Philly, the Reading Terminal is one of the true Institutions in Philly.  It is one of the most incredible places for food you will likely find in the entire city - if not the entire East Coast.   It is a huge, enclosed public market full of over 80 permanent merchants selling everything from the freshest local produce to hand crafted wares from the Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish).  It is all housed in one open space and is always full of locals and tourists alike, gawking at all of the beautiful meats and cheeses available to buy, and breathing in the intoxicating aromas wafting from the local eateries such as DiNic's Roast Pork or Hershel's East Side Deli.   Needless to say, if you need something...anything...and you want it fresh from a local business you can't miss at Reading Terminal Market.

So I picked up two beautiful fillets of trout from a fresh fish vendor and cooked them up that night.  First I took the trout out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while I got together the mix for the breading.

2 - 8 oz. Trout Fillets -

Corn Meal Coating:

• 1/2 Cup Corn Meal
• 1 Tsp. Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Chile Powder
• 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp. Onion Powder

Now I didn't coat the fish in anything previous to applying the corn meal breading, I just used the natural moisture in the fish to get the corn meal mixture to stick (though if you need to add moisture try squeezing some orange juice over the uncoated fish).   I made sure to evenly coat both sides, pressing firmly to make sure it sticks.  Then in the meanwhile preheat your skillet on medium-high heat.  Then pour in 3 Tbsp Olive oil and allow to heat up properly - not to the point to smoking however.  Then add the fish and allow to fry for about 2-3 minutes aside depending on thickness of fish - my fillets were 8 oz each so they were a bit on the thicker side and needed a bit longer to cook.  You will want to cook the fish until it is opaque and flakes apart easily.

Orange-Sage Butter Sauce:

To top it all off - I made a sauce for the fish using brown butter, orange juice, and fresh sage .  Take 2 Tbsp of butter and allow to brown in the skillet, then take 1/4 cup of orange juice and 1 Tsp of freshly minced sage.  Allow to cook down a bit until it has thickened up a little and then pour it over the fish.  I unfortunately didn't make enough, so you can always add more butter and OJ to make more - you will use it all I promise.

Then for the side all I did was saute some sliced onion and asparagus spears olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Nice and easy...nice and tasty.