Recipes

PAN FRIED

TROUT: This is the old traditional way to fry. Rinse trout and set aside. Put one cup of cornmeal on a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll trout in cornmeal mix (make sure to cover both sides). Oil should be hot but not smoking. If oil is correct temperature, trout tail will sizzle when placed in hot oil. Place trout in pan with sides not touching. When golden brown, turn once with spatula to cook other side. This recipe works best with small trout.

FRIED TROUT:  Rinse trout, bread in cornmeal seasoned with salt and pepper. Pan fry only long enough to brown each side. Remove trout from frying pan and place in shallow baking pan lined with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Drain and serve. Beside giving the cook time to prepare the rest of the meal, (hushpuppies). This recipe will give you fried trout that have less oil and that are all hot to the table at the time of serving. This recipe works well with small to medium trout.

SMOKED TROUT: This recipe requires a covered grill. Use plenty of charcoal, build your fire to one side of the grill and leave in a pile (do not spread out). Coat trout inside and out with cooking oil and salt heavily. When fire is burning good, place trout on grill completely away from the fire and at the same time place several handfuls of wet hickory chips on the coals. Close grill and leave for 45 minutes. Trout should be golden brown on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside, with a nice hickory flavor.

BROILED TROUT:  Butter pan. Place buttered trout seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and thinly sliced lemon, next to each other in pan. Broil until done without turning. This should take about 10 minutes.

BACON GRILLED TROUT:  Wrap trout with bacon and fasten together with toothpicks. Place in double rack and cook over coals. When bacon is crisp, trout are done.

SOUTHERN GRILLED TROUT: Rinse trout, sprinkle salt on both sides of your trout. Regular table salt is just fine. Place on medium grill (do not use foil). Baste trout inside and out with an ice tea spoon using melted butter and lemon while cooking. Turn ONCE with spatula. The ice tea spoon works better than a basting brush and there’s less cleanup.

HUSHPUPPIES: Your basic hushpuppy recipe: two cups cornmeal mix, one onion chopped fine, one egg and enough buttermilk to make a soft batter. Use an ice tea spoon to form a small round or egg shaped pup on the side of your mixing bowl. Drop the pup into your hot oil being careful not to splash the oil on yourself, OUCH! Do not let your spoon go into the oil, if you do it will form a fried crust on it and your next pup will not release from your spoon. Leave a cup of tap water nearby and rinse your spoon often. This little trick will help you to make neat round perfect little pups. As your pups become brown on one side jiggle your fry basket and if your pups are near round they will roll over so the uncooked side is now down in the hot oil. This is the real southern secret to making a good pup.

TIPS FOR HUSHPUPPIES: If you have small children; before adding the onion, separate part of your pup mixture into a small bowl and add a handful of sugar to your mix. This will sweeten them up.
If the boys are coming over to watch the big game you may use beer when you make your pup mix. It’s best to still use a little buttermilk with the beer. You can also light up the boys by adding any type of hot pepper you wish. Make your pups as hot as you like but remember, some of this taste/heat will remain in your oil.

The last tip is for when you have that special dinner for that very special person planned. Go to the seafood department of your grocery store and by a small bag of pre-cooked cocktail shrimp. I usually chop them up just a bit. Add the whole bag to your pup mix. You have to be careful about things like this unless you like lots of folks dropping by for dinner and real often.

FREEZING: One of the most often asked question is “how do I freeze it?”. Trout do not have sharp fins or spines. This makes them one of the easiest fish to prepare for the freezer. Any seafood should be frozen in water. Just use a quality plastic bag. The trick here is to leave an egg sized air bubble to allow for expansion of the water. When you thaw out your fish; let it thaw overnight in the fridge or by running COLD water over it. Never use hot water or the microwave oven to thaw seafood.