Pan Fried Trout

Trout is probably the most often-caught freshwater fish in the western United States. Many of us have fond memories of going camping and fishing in the summer and eating these tasty fish. They have a fantastic flavor that does best with a simple recipe. If you do happen to buy your fish, make sure that it is fresh. Fresh fish will have bright, clear eyes, firm flesh, and will NOT smell fishy at all. If it has any smell, it will be a wet, semi-musty smell, but definitely not fishy. A fishy fish is a spoiled fish.

Simple Pan Fried Trout

Ingredients

Trout, freshly caught
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Lemon wedges or slices

Procedure

1. Clean the trout by slitting the belly lengthwise and scooping out the innards. Discard. Remove the vein that runs along the spine. If it is a larger trout, you can cut the head and tail off to fit it in your pan. Pull the head backwards until the spine snaps and then cut it off.
2. If the trout is from a clean water source you trust, you can eat the skin. If this is the case, wash off the slime and remove the scales by scraping the back of a knife against the grain of the scales. Otherwise, just wash the slime off. On smaller fish with smaller scales, you might not even care to remove the scales.
3. Set fish aside on a paper towel or brown paper bag. Do not dry.
3. Heat skillet to medium-high heat.
4. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge whole fish in mixture.
5. Add butter to skillet and swirl around to coat bottom of skillet. Add fish. Cook until fish is browned and releases from pan. Flip.
6. Trout is done when the flesh is a milky opaque color but still deliciously juicy.
7. Serve hot with lemon wedges or slices.