Delicate trout pieces in an incredibly aromatic onion, garlic and white wine sauce. Can be served hot with polenta or boiled potatoes or at room temperature with crusty white bread.
After the Easy Skillet White Fish Fillet in Tomato Sauce and the Oven-Baked Pike with Vegetables and White Wine, this Aromatic Skillet Trout with Onions and Whole Peppercorns is the third fish recipe in a row on Where Is My Spoon. Well, I am in the middle of a Dobrogea series, a Romanian territory at the Black Sea and the Danube Delta, so no better time to post fish recipes, I suppose.
At the first glance you might think that the Skillet White Fish Fillet in Tomato Sauce and this Aromatic Skillet Trout recipe are quite similar, but trust me, they are not. Both incredibly delicious, only writing about them makes me drool and crave fish again, but still these are two different dishes, two different recipes. Both yummy, healthy, low-fat, low carb (if you leave out the side dish), probably gluten-free (but I am not an expert), whatever… main thing super healthy and good for you. 🙂
Not to mention so easy to make, a recipe to impress any guest with its taste and its looks as well, but really with a minimum of work involved and just a few ingredients. And another bonus about it, you can either eat it warm with polenta or boiled potatoes like we usually do or you could serve this at room temperature with some nice crusty white bread on the side. Either way, you will love it.
I made this aromatic trout in my Lodge L10SK3 12″ Skillet With Assist Handle
cast-iron pan. But like I have mentioned while writing the post for the White Fish in Tomato Sauce you might not want to risk your pan with tomato based sauces. I have never encountered any problems myself as I have been using my cast-iron pan for several years now and I consider it to be very well seasoned.
However, I have read about people ruining their pan’s seasoning with tomato sauces and Sissi from With a Glass also warned me in a comment about the risks of cooking tomato sauce in a cast-iron pan. So, I guess you decide, you know your own pan – how well seasoned and old it is – better than I know it. In any case do use an oven-proof pan, the pan will need to go to the oven for the last 20 minutes of the cooking time.
I used fresh trout to make this recipe, they are probably the most readily available fresh fish around here. We have private trout ponds all over the region, selling the trout either fresh or smoked (which is soooo good, I should get some soon again), so I have cooked trout in quite a few ways until now. My husband and I both love it and even the kids have been known to nibble a bit of the fish from time to time and not complain too much about it. 🙂 The trout has a very delicate and tender taste and I think that makes it quite suitable for children (or people who are generally not going wild with fish) as well. Do give it a try, I think you will love it!
And it wouldn’t be me, if I wouldn’t use every last bit of the fish (or chicken or turkey or beef) to make a nice soup as well. Keep the heads and the tails of the trout, freeze them if you don’t have enough of them in one go or if you want to make the soup at a later time. I usually gather whatever I happen to get over several months (trout, salmon, pike, pollock etc) and then make a mixed fish stock following the recipe for this Homemade Fish Stock with Salmon Balls. This homemade fish stock can be then turned into various amazingly delicious fish soups like this Easy Fish and Vegetable Soup with Pollock Fillets for instance.
However, only freeze the heads and tails of fresh fish, don’t freeze already defrosted fish again. If your fish was already frozen, use the leftover parts to make the stock immediately or discard the leftovers if you are not interested in making stock.
And if you would like to see the other Dobrogea recipes from this series have a look at these links:
Easy Skillet White Fish Fillet in Tomato Sauce
Oven-Baked Pike with Vegetables and White Wine
Savory Cheese Pie with Quark, Feta and Yogurt
Vegan and Healthy Tomato Rice with Zucchini and Carrots
Skinny Pumpkin Cinnamon Pie: Vegan, Low-Fat and Low Sugar
Fish Soup with Potatoes and Garlic Sauce
Aromatic Skillet Trout with Onions and Whole Peppercorns
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Ingredients
- 550 g/ 19.4 oz/ 1.2 lbs fresh (or frozen) whole trout (2 trout)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 250 g/ 8.8 onions
- 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ½ cup sweet white wine (See note)
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ½ cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-7 whole black peppercorns
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- salt
- a small bunch of parsley
Instructions
Wash and dry the trout. Remove the heads and tails of the fish, you could use them to make fish stock, but only freeze them if the fish was fresh, do not freeze already defrosted fish again.
Cut the fish into 5-6 cm/ 2-2.4 inches pieces.
Heat the pan well and add about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Coat the fish pieces with flour, shake off the excess and fry the fish in the pan, about 2 minutes on each side.
In the meantime, halve the onions and slice the halves very thinly.
Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions are translucent but still uncolored. Stir well and pay attention, you don’t want the onions to burn.
In a small bowl whisk together the water, tomato paste and sweet white wine (and the sugar if you are using dry white wine). Add the mixture to the pan together with the bay leaf, peppercorns, lemon juice and salt to taste.
Chop the garlic cloves and give them to the pan as well. Mix well. Add the fish pieces and place the pan in the preheated oven. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve hot with polenta or boiled potatoes or leave to cool and serve at room temperature with crusty white bread and a glass of white wine.
Notes
You can use sweeter white wine or dry white wine, whatever you happen to have. If you choose dry white wine, you might need to add ½ teaspoon sugar to the sauce or to taste.
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Others you might like:
Basic Skillet Chicken Breasts
Zucchini Beef Skillet with Potatoes and Garlic
Butternut Squash and Sausage Stew in the Cast Iron Pan
6 comments
Simple yet so yummy and full of aroma with onions, Adina.
yummm, never had trout, but that fish looks so good! hope you are having a nice week and enjoy the weekend
It’s been many, many years since I’ve had trout. The fish of choice in my household are swordfish, cod, and haddock. I need work trout into the repertoire somehow. This looks fantastic, Adina!! And yes, I’d like to have some with polenta, boiled potatoes, bread…I’d like it all please!
Indeed this skilled sounds so aromatic, Monica. Onion and tomatoes can shine any dish. Lovely share, Adina.
It sounds fantastic! I loooove trout and even though I’ve never been to Romania and never lived in Germany, the freshly caught trout brings back childhood memories…. though I’ve never had it in such a delicious looking sauce! Whole peppercorns sound particularly tempting!
Thank you for the kind link. I hope I haven’t scared anyone off using tomato sauces in iron pans 😉 I find it such a pity it didn’t work in my case because a cast iron pan looks so beautiful on the table! (Unlike an inox one).
Wow, this is a great recipe. I just made it. I am following you and other cooking websites for making recipes but your way of cooking is amazing.Last night i made Chicken Malai Boti .It’s taste so delicious.
Video tutorial also available for cooking.