The Great Smoky Mountains

I recently took a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.  While there, I found some beautiful, fresh Rainbow Trout.  Not being one to let such an opportunity go to waste, I picked a few trout up for dinner (4 actually).  The result was wonderful, and I want to share that experience with you.  I used Rainbow trout, but any trout will do.

Pecan Crusted Trout with Sauce Meuniere

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 whole lemon, peeled and quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups roughly chopped lightly toasted pecans
• 1 1/2 tablespoons your favorite spice mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 4 (6-ounce) trout fillets
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Chopped parsley, garnish

Directions:

To make the sauce:

1. In a saucepan, combine the Worcestershire, lemons and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half and thickened, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing the lemons with the back of a spoon to break up into pieces.
3. Add the cream and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
4. Lower the heat to very low. Whisk in the butter several pieces at a time, adding each piece before the previous one has been completely incorporated.
5. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, pulling the pan from the heat as necessary to keep the sauce from breaking.
6. Remove from the heat and strain, pressing down with the whisk, through a fine mesh strainer, into a clean container. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Trout:

1. In a food processor, combine 1 cup of the flour, 2 cups of the pecans, and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix.   Process just until smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
2. In another bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of flour with 1 teaspoon of the spice mix. In a third bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of spice mix to make an egg wash.
3. Lightly season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. One at a time, dredge first in the flour, then dip into the egg wash, shaking to remove any excess. Dredge in the pecan mixture, turning to adhere to both sides.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish in batches if necessary and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook on the second side until golden and the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

To serve, spoon the sauce into the middle of 4 large plates and top with the fish. Garnish the top of each fish with 1 tablespoon of the remaining pecans. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

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