La Truite Grenobloise

Trout in a Lemony Brown Butter Sauce with Capers

Another wonderful way to prepare trout - in Grenobloise, a classic French sauce, composed of lemon, brown butter(beurre noisette) and capers. In France it is called  "La Truite Grenobloise".

Cooking the trout with the skin on (after scaling) helps keep the fillets in tact and doesn't detract from the flavor as it does with salmon. Cooking the fillets on the flesh side until just "Crusted" then finishing up on the skin side yields a beautiful presentation.

INGREDIENTS:

2 6-8 ounce fillets rainbow trout; skin on, scaled
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
½  lemon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ Tbsp capers
1-¼ Tbsp parsley

White Pepper
Parsley sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION:

Cut the lemon in half, juicing it. Peel the rind off the second half and separate the segments, then dice (brunoise) into ⅛" bits. Wash the parsley, shaking off the water and strip and mince the leaves. Drain and rinse the capers.

Wash the Fillets checking for bones. Dry with paper towels, then scrape the skin in one direction with the back of a butter knife to remove any remaining scales. Rinse again and pat dry. 

Season each fillet on both sides with freshly ground white pepper, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. With thicker fillets, you can go a little longer. Resting allowes the seasoning to seep into the flesh and not simply sit on the skin and surface. As usual, no salt is used.

COOKING:

Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the rim is hot to the touch, add the olive oil and heat just below smoking. Place each fillet flesh side down in the oil and cook until just brown about 2 or 3 min. Turn the fillets over and reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for two or three minutes more, until cooked through (135 to 140 deg). Remove fillets to a plate. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat to low. Remove pan and allowing it to cool for a bit. Add butter to pan and return to the burner and simmer until the butter is browned not black. You can tell if the butter is at the brown (hazelnut) stage when it gives off a pleasant, nutty aroma. If it still smells of flour, it is not yet at the noisette stage; if it smells burnt, start over as you've got Beurre noire, or black butter.

Remove pan from heat and add lemon segments and juice. Return to low heat, stir in capers and parsley, stirring to combine. Spoon sauce on and around fillets, garnish with parsley sprigs or lemon slices.

Adapted from a recipe by : Paul D. Smith