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Rainbow Trout with Leeks | Weston Table

Large Plates

Rainbow Trout with Leeks

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.— Doug Larson.

 

Native to North American rivers, lakes, and streams west of the Rocky Mountains, torpedo shaped rainbow trout are stunning specimens prized by fly fishermen for their fighting spirit and glorious olive-green and purple iridescence coloring. Rainbow trout is tender, flaky, and soft fleshed when cooked. These freshwater swimmers spawn in the spring and are a harbinger of weather change in North America swimming up stream just as spring leeks are at their peak. Mild tasting and tender, leeks do not over power the delicate taste of the fish, but rather enhance and coax out the subtle nut-like flavor of the trout. The bread crumb mixture combines the classic pan-fried trout flavors of butter, garlic, herbs, and lemon and also protects the leeks so they have time to cook under the broiler. Rainbow trout is one of the safest farmed fish to eat. Reasonably priced, farm-raised rainbow trout is one of the most ecologically sound fish options available.

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cuisine American
difficulty Simple
season Year Round
serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 head on cleaned and deboned trout
  • 1 leek, about 8” white and tender green parts only
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Turn on the broiler.
  2. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and rinse under cold water removing any grit and dirt. Dry thoroughly. Slice the leek into 1/4” lengths that, depending on the width of your fish, lay across the body of the fish in rows.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, minced garlic, thyme, parsley, melted butter, zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Divide the mixture and sprinkle over the top of the fish.
  4. Heat a 12 Inch Skillet over medium high heat. Coat the skillet with olive oil and immediately add the fish to the pan, skin side down, and cook the fish about 6 to 7 minutes until the skin is brown and crispy. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the leeks and bread crumbs are golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
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