Restaurant Inspiration: Pan Fried Rainbow Trout

My Restaurant-Inspired Pan-Fried Rainbow Trout

A most satisfying, tasty entree is served at a near-tiny inn and sports bar in Upper Marlboro, Maryland called The Olde Towne Inn--and is affectionately called "OTI" by the regulars. It's right next to the county courthouse and holds its own with some of the best local restaurants in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. One of my favorite dishes there is their pan-fried rainbow trout.

This fish has a rail-thin, crispy coating and a soulful savoriness that impels me to close my eyes as I chew its flaky flesh slowly and with appreciation.

Pan fried fish uses much less oil and with a clean-tasting yet flavorful fish like rainbow trout, I knew it would be a healthy dish for the family. Another plus for cooking rainbow trout is that it's a "Best Choice" seafood according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, which rates seafood based on sustainable wild catching or farming practices.

Thin layer of flour for coating

According to Seafood Watch, most U.S. rainbow trout are farmed in well-managed ponds or tanks. And unlike some farmed salmon, the texture and taste of farmed rainbow trout is good to excellent (according to my taste buds). Since I've had this dish at the OTI restaurant a few times, I was inspired to replicate it in my kitchen. It seemed to have just a few ingredients, such as salt, pepper, paprika. I dusted my fillets with garbanzo bean flour for extra protein and taste. My rainbow trout turned out as satisfying as the restaurant inspiration.

Inspiration: Pan-Fried Trout at OTI in Upper Marlboro MD

Recipe: Restaurant Inspiration--Pan-Friend Rainbow Trout (Serves 4)
Ingredients
4 whole, filleted rainbow trout, butterflied (skin on)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
Cracked Pepper
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (or unbleached white flour)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil (can also use canola or safflower oil)
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

1. Sprinkle salt, paprika and cracked pepper on fleshy side of fish fillet.
2. Brush on a thin layer of flour on fleshy side of each fillet. 
3. Add pinch of cayenne pepper to fleshy side of each fillet (unless you plan to eat the skin, add seasonings only to the fleshy side of the fish).
4. Heat one tablespoon of grapeseed in non-stick skillet (8-10 inches) over medium heat. Tilt skillet to spread oil over the whole surface. Allow pan to heat until surface starts to glisten, which indicates that it is hot.
5. Spray a large baking dish or baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
6. Carefully place one rainbow trout in the skillet, fleshy side down. Pan fry fish for 5-8 minutes. Remove fish from skillet with spatula and place, skin side down, onto the baking dish or sheet. Finish cooking fish in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. 
7. Repeat pan frying with each of the remaining fish, adding each pan-fried fish to the baking dish or sheet after it browns to finish cooking.