Skillet Trout with Wild Sage
Trout from the foothill creeks west of here doesn't need much done to it, and this recipe is built around that idea rather than fighting it. A hot cast iron skillet and a few minutes on each side is really all the fish requires, since trout fillets are thin enough to cook through quickly and delicate enough that a heavy sauce would just cover up the flavor rather than complement it. The brown butter that finishes the dish takes only a minute longer than plain melted butter, but the nutty, slightly caramelized flavor it develops is worth that extra attention every time. Wild sage growing along the creek banks has a sharper, more resinous flavor than the cultivated kind sold in grocery stores, and a few leaves fried briefly in the butter turn crisp and almost savory, closer to a garnish than an herb. This is a fifteen-minute dinner once the fish is cleaned, which makes it a natural choice after a morning on the water when you'd rather be eating than standing at the stove.
Ingredients
- 2 trout fillets, skin-on, about 6 oz each
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 lemon, half juiced and half sliced
Instructions
- Pat the trout fillets dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Dust the fillets lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Lay the fillets skin-side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula so the skin stays flat and crisps evenly.
- Flip carefully and cook for another 2 minutes, until the flesh flakes easily. Transfer to plates.
- Reduce heat to medium, add the butter to the skillet, and cook until it foams and turns golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the sage leaves and fry for 20 to 30 seconds until crisp.
- Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice, and spoon the brown butter and sage over the trout.
- Serve immediately with the sliced lemon on the side.
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