Tip-Top Trout

Wrapping a trout in tin foil might be nice when you’re out camping, but when you bring your catch home, try something a little more exciting. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for fresh-caught fish: hemp-seed-crusted trout served over orange-infused, fresh-garden-vegetable slaw and topped with gremolata (a condiment made from finely chopped herbs). We use local Trout Culture trout at the restaurant, but this recipe will work just as well with other fish.

Slaw recipe:
1 orange
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 small red bell pepper
1 scallion
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
Salt & pepper

Gremolata:
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 small garlic clove (minced)
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

1 large trout, filleted.

First, zest and juice the orange in a medium bowl. Julienne the zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, and scallion. Toss with the orange juice and zest, add parsley, and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Season the slaw with salt and pepper to taste.

Place trout skin side down on a cutting board. Generously sprinkle hemp seeds over flesh side of fish and press down lightly. Heat two tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan; add trout to the pan with the hemp seeds down. Cook until seeds are slightly brown, then turn fish over and place sauté pan (or oven-proof dish) in 375-degree oven for approximately five minutes or until desired doneness.

Toss the slaw once more before bringing it to the plate. Place slaw in center of plate, lay fish over the slaw, and top with gremolata.

Along with his wife, Dahlia, John Rolfe owns Pit Stop Pizza and the Alley Bistro in Ennis.