Locally farmed trout is quick and easy to prepare. Ask your fishmonger to pin-bone the fillets for a completely boneless experience that’s popular with the whole family. Also an elegant choice for a dinner party.
PAIRED WITH: Cape of Good Hope Serruria Chardonnay
Cape of Good Hope recipe series by Ilse van der Merwe (thefoodfox.com)
Photographs by Tasha Seccombe
Pan-fried trout with naartjie and dill butter sauce
Ingredients
- 125g butter
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
- juice of 1 naartjie
- juice of ½ lemon
- handful fresh dill, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil, to fry
- 600g fresh rainbow/salmon trout fillets, skin on, pin-boned and cut into 4 portions
- a crisp green salad, to serve
Instructions
Make the basting sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, then add the garlic, naartjie juice, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir until combined. Boil briefly, then remove from heat and set aside.
In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the trout portions in the pan skin-side down and fry for 2 – 3 minutes, seasoning the flesh side with salt and pepper to taste. Turn over and fry briefly, for about 30 seconds. Don’t overcook the fish – it should still be slightly pink in the centre.
Remove from pan and place the trout portions on each of 4 serving plates, spooning the sauce over the fish generously. Serve at once with a crisp green salad.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
