Trout Amandine
Mastering this method for cooking fish is “a little like learning to properly fry an egg or a pancake, and about as easy,” says chef Tenney Flynn, author of “The Deep End of Flavor” (Gibbs Smith, 2019). “A meunière sauce is nothing more than browned butter with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh parsley. You can amaze your friends with this one method. In French cuisine, sole is the fish that made this dish famous. Once you get the hang of it, you can go in a thousand directions using whatever fish looks best at your market.”
Note: If you are uneasy about flipping long fillets, use a sharp knife to cut them in half, so that the fish fits more easily on your spatula.
Serve with crispy bread and a green salad.
Leftover fish can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 2 (5- to 6-ounce) speckled trout fillets or other fillets from a smallish fish (may substitute catfish, drum or sole)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, plus more if needed, divided
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Directions
Step 1
Pat the fish fillets dry. Lightly season them with salt and pepper and dust with the flour.
Step 2
Heat a large saute pan, nonstick or cast iron, over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. If the butter starts to brown too fast, remove the pan from the burner and wait a few seconds before adding the fish. (If it burns, dump it out, wipe out the pan and start over.)
Step 3
Place the seasoned fillets skin side up — the flat side, if skinned — in the hot pan and cook undisturbed, for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a thin or fish spatula, gently lift a fillet to check for color. When they are golden brown, tilt the pan toward you so the oil drains to the bottom and turn the fillets away from you so you don’t splash oil on yourself. Gently flip the fillets with the spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 or 3 minutes longer. Transfer the fillets to a warmed plate.
Step 4
Add the rest of the butter to the pan. Using a whisk, scrape the crusted bits off the bottom of the pan while the butter is browning. (If the melted butter has blackened bits, dump it out, quickly wipe out the pan, and add fresh butter.)
Step 5
When the butter is medium-brown — just past the color of light brown sugar — add the lemon juice, parsley and the almonds, to taste, and stir to combine.
Step 6
Plate the fillets, pour the butter sauce over, garnish with the parsley and serve.
