This delicate stewed trout in tomato sauce is an incredibly aromatic dish with garlic and white wine. Serve with polenta, potatoes, or crusty bread.
After the White Fish Fillet in Tomato Sauce, Fish Soup with Potatoes and Garlic Sauce, and the Baked Pike, it was time to make some stewed trout in tomato sauce.
This is a simple recipe yet so delicious and good-looking that you can serve it to guests at any time. There is a minimum of work involved and just a few ingredients.
Another bonus is that you can either eat it warm with polenta or boiled potatoes, as we usually do, or you could serve it at room temperature with some nice crusty white bread on the side. Either way, you will love it.
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What do you need?
Fish:
- Two whole trouts. They are generally not very large; two of them will probably have a total weight of about 450 g -550 g/ 1 lb โ 1.2 lb. If those you get are slightly larger or smaller, it is fine; you will cut them into pieces anyway.
- You will have to remove the heads and the tails of the fish. Don't throw them away; you could make fish or salmon stock with them.
- Or freeze them to make stock later.
However, only freeze the heads and tails of fresh fish, don't freeze already-defrosted fish again. If it was already frozen, use the leftover parts to make the stock immediately, or discard the leftovers if you are not interested in making stock.
Fresh or frozen fish?
- Fresh is always better, and, at least here in Germany, fresh trout is easily available.
- Remove the insides if there is anything left there. It usually isn't, but check.
- However, if all you have is frozen fish, it will be fine as well. Let it thaw well, clean and dry it, and proceed with the recipe.
What kind of pan do you need?
- You will need an ovenproof pan as the stewed trout in tomato sauce will be first cooked on the stove and finished in the oven.
- I often made the recipe in a cast-iron skillet. However, I only recommend using one if your skillet is very well-seasoned and you have been using it for quite a while.
- Tomato sauce is very acidic and might ruin the seasoning on your cast-iron pan, so it is better to use another thick-bottomed, enameled, ovenproof cast-iron pan or Dutch oven.
How to serve trout stew?
- My first choice is always basic polenta.
- Plain boiled potatoes or crusty white bread are also great with trout.
- You can serve the fish stew immediately, or you can let it come to room temperature and serve it with bread.
Stewed Trout (in Tomato Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 whole trouts about 450 g -550 g/ 1 lb โ 1.2 lb total weight
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 250 g/ 8.8 onions
- 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ยฝ cup sweet white wine Note
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 100 ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ยฝ cup water
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-7 whole black peppercorns
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- fine sea 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 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in an ovenproof pan. 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 thinly.
- Remove the fish from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the onions and ยฝ teaspoon salt. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions are translucent but still uncolored. Stir well and often.
- 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 chopped garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, lemon juice, and salt to taste. 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.
Wilma says
Will do!
Wilma says
Hi Adina, thank you so much - that is a big help. We are also going to try this recipe with a meat instead of fish.
For anyone out there that wants to try this recipe, you won't be sorry, the taste is absolutely scrumptious - enjoy!
Adina says
Glad to help. Let me know how it works with meat.
Wilma says
Adina, thank you so much for responding.I used regular onions, but it seemed 8.8 onions seemed way to many onions, even though my sauce wasn't as thick as I would have liked it, the taste was absolutely scrumptious. How much is 250g of onions in cups? Maybe I'm misunderstanding and I'm not converting to cups accurately? Could you let me know. Thank you.
Adina says
Hi Wilma. 250 g are 3 of my small to medium onions. I didn't measure them in cups, sorry. But 8 to 9 oz is what you need.
Wilma says
I'm in California, U.S.A. When you say 250g (8.8 onions) do you mean shallots?
.
Adina says
Sure, you can use shallots; they are a type of onion as well.
Lee says
I do not see what temperature the oven should be preheated. Did I miss it?
Thanks for the recipe.
Adina says
Hi. 180 Celsius/ 360 Fahrenheit.
Sissi says
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 ๐ 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).
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Indeed this skilled sounds so aromatic, Monica. Onion and tomatoes can shine any dish. Lovely share, Adina.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
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!
Nammi says
yummm, never had trout, but that fish looks so good! hope you are having a nice week and enjoy the weekend
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Simple yet so yummy and full of aroma with onions, Adina.