The other night I had the most delicious grilled trout for dinner. It got me thinking about the wiley freshwater denizen. Has there ever been a thread dedicated to trout? I don’t think so.
So here’s your chance to talk trout. Have you gone fly fishing, sought them out in riffles, runs or pools? Ever dined on trout almondine? Did you enjoy “A River Runs Through It”? A fan of Kilgore Trout? Have you seen the giant trout statue in Gore, NZ? Or…do you hate trout and everything they stand for? Here’s your chance to weigh in on this member of the Salmonidae family.
I once caught a trout with my bare hands in Rock Creek in the eastern Sierras. Rather than earning admiration from my hiking companions, I was severely admonished for fishing without a license.
Last time I went camping I had whole trout stuffed with wood sorrell grilled over the embers of a campfire, which was then eaten with fingers and a bottle of white wine I chilled in the stream.
Get a frying pan rocket hot. Put in a teaspoon of olive oil and a pat of butter. Allow to get slightly smoky.
Put the fish in the pan, skin side up. Give the pan a good shake for 10 seconds. (Other wise the fish will stick.)
After about a minute (or when GBD), flip the fish. (Flip it away from you. I still have the scars that prove why this is a good idea.) Shake and cook for another minute.
Plate the fish, skin side down. Add more butter to the pan, as well as some lemon juice, capers, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce reduce and brown a little. Pour over fish.
Crack open a cold beer and realize that life is good.
I went fly fishing last year in Wyoming in a way I’d never heard of before: floating down the river in a boat with one guy rowing, two guys casting. Caught (and released) plenty of beautiful fish. That’s one of the best damn vacations (actually for a bachelor party) that I ever had.
I caught an 8 pound brown trout using 6 pound test, it took me about 20 minutes to reel it in. This was from a rowboat in a reservoir in NY state. I got an honorable mention in a local fishing contest for it.
I was using herring for bait and I did the brain surgery on the herring myself, pretty good for a squeamish girl if I say so myself.
One time I caught a 4 pound lake trout and brought it home, my Mom cleaned it and baked it. I was underwhelmed by the taste, I like salt water fish better.
If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Independence, California, make sure to pay a visit to the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery.
It is a beautiful building set in a very scenic spot, the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada rising up in the background. It was the source of Golden Trout stock in the Sierras for 90 years before a disastrous flood several years ago. Back in the 1930s, thanks to some foresighted individuals, the hatchery was also responsible for rescuing the Colorado River Cutthroat Trout from extinction.
Can’t afford to renew my canoe license or get a fishing license this summer, but a short while ago I realized that this lake is just down the road a bit.
Maybe next year. If you’re in Minnesota, you might check it out.
Clean, gut, remove head, and debone, while keeping the backbone intact. Basically, you want a headless fish that you can open like a book.
Do that. Rub the inside with olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Thinly slice a lemon. Cover the inside with lemon slices. Put sage leaves on top of the lemon slices. Close the fishbook. Wrap it up with bacon slices like a mummy, using toothpicks to seal it shut. Grill over low-ish heat until the bacon is crispy.
