Trout on the Table

A Mountain Taste Tradition

by ,

One of the more frequently used quotations from 19th century wilderness wanderer, writer, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau suggests that “some men fish all their lives without knowing it is not really the fish they are after.” Perhaps that is true for “some men,” but rest assured that traditional mountain folks, closely attuned to and wonderfully adept at living off the land, would have dismissed such thinking out of hand. 

My mother addressed the whole matter quite nicely with her pithy thoughts on the popular practice of catch-and-release among today’s trout fishermen. In her view that approach was fine, but with a strong caveat—you released the trout to a sizzling pan of hot grease, not the stream from which they came. 

The very idea of going fishing, enjoying success, and not bringing home a mess was in her view absolutely ludicrous. Interestingly, from a biologist’s perspective, at least in the Appalachian high country streams which are home to naturally reproducing trout, she was exactly right. Regional fisheries biologists readily acknowledge that trout in the region have a short life span and that angling pressure in the form of creeling a limit of fish is in no way detrimental. This isn’t the place for an extended argument on differing viewpoints when it comes to whether or not to keep fish for the table, but I can state two things with unequivocal conviction. 

First, over the course of my life I’ve been responsible for many a trout being all dressed up in a cornmeal dinner jacket, fried to a golden turn, and gracing plates in a backcountry camping site. Some of the finest meals I’ve ever enjoyed have been in such settings, often with the trout having been swimming in cold, clear waters of a nearby mountain stream just a half hour earlier. A speckled trout which is barely keeping size, fried so crisp you can eat bones and all, comes mighty close to culinary heaven. My second point simply sees a change of settings from the back woods to the family table. There the accompanying fare might have been more diverse although the fish weren’t fresh from the creek. In either case, as my Grandpa Joe might have put it when speaking of such superb fare, the only thing better than a properly prepared trout is several of them. 

Sign up for our FREE monthly newsletter
Marketing by

Here are some ways to enjoy this traditional mountain delicacy.

Pan-Fried Trout

  • 2 to 3 small trout (6 to 8 inches length is ideal—they are tastier than larger ones) per person, dressed
  • Stone-ground cornmeal
  • Salt and pepper
  • Bacon grease or lard

Clean the fish and leave damp so they will hold plenty of corn meal.  Put your cornmeal in a Zip-lok bag, add the trout, along with salt and pepper, and shake thoroughly.  Make sure the inside body cavity gets a coating of corn meal.  Cook strips of bacon or streaked meat and save grease, setting the meat aside to mix with a green salad or to crumble into fried potatoes.  Place the trout in a large frying pan (a cast-iron spider works wonders but modern non-stick kitchen ware is quite suitable) holding piping hot grease.  Cook, turning only once, until golden brown. You can help the process along by using a spatula or tilting the pan a bit to splash grease into the open body cavities.  Place cooked fish atop paper towels, pat gently to remove any excess grease, and dig in.  If it is springtime, serve with a backwoods “kilt” salad (branch lettuce, ramps, and bacon bits with leftover hot cooking grease poured over it for a dressing), fried potatoes and onions with bacon bits added, and something for the sweet tooth to finish.  

Trout Omelet

This is a fine breakfast dish but can be served at any meal. If used for dinner or supper a green salad or fruit mix is a nice accompaniment, while at breakfast a cathead biscuit partners up in mighty fine fashion.

  • 2 cups cooked and flaked trout (I like to poach them in butter)
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ cup minced onion
  • ½ cup chopped mushrooms
  • ½ cup fresh spinach, chopped
  • Sour cream 
  • Butter

Mix eggs and vegetables in a small bowl then combine with cottage cheese and beat until fluffy. Pour into a buttered frying pan and cook slowly on low heat until the eggs start to set. Pour previously cooked trout on top, add a dollop of sour cream, and then carefully fold to finish cooking the omelet. Season with salt and pepper and top with paprika or chopped parsley if desired. Serves three or four.

Trout Baked in Foil

While I’d argue, perhaps with some vehemence, that nothing quite matches fresh-caught trout fried over an open fire in a backcountry campsite, perhaps with a side dish of ramps and branch lettuce or fried potatoes and onions, you can skip the grease and use foil for the cooking process. This works on an open fire if you know what you are doing with coals, on a backyard grill, or in the kitchen oven. Place each serving of trout in its own container of tinfoil, folding carefully so everything stays inside. Line the body cavity with a couple of pats of butter, insert thin slices of lemon, or dust with whatever combination of herbs appeals to you (dried parsley, perhaps with just a touch of red pepper flakes, is particularly good). Cook until the flesh easily flakes from the bones, and be aware of the fact this won’t take long.

Honey Pecan Mountain Trout

  • 2 pounds trout fillets (fillet large trout or split small fish down the middle and remove as many bones as possible, leave the skin in place)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Butter, softened
  • Honey

Preheat a grill, broiler or grill pan. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Spread the pecans on a clean plate or a sheet of waxed paper. Dip the fish in the flour mixture and shake gently to remove the excess. Brush with the get and then press the fish into the pecans. Dot with butter and drizzle with a little honey. Grill, skin side down first, until partially cooked, then turn and cook through.

Crab-Stuffed Rainbow Trout

For a truly toothsome combination of flavors, one sure to impress even dyed-in-the-wool trout aficionados, give this a try. It works best with smaller trout (under 10 inches) of precisely the type likely to make up a typical day’s catch in a high elevation mountain stream.

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional oil for coating trout
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup crab meat (about 5 or 6 ounces)
  • ¼ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup crushed saltine crackers
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 5 or 6 small rainbow trout or 2 larger, farm-raised trout, cleaned and left whole
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Prepare a grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion and celery for two minutes. Add the butter, crab meat, bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, lemon juice and seasonings and mix gently but thoroughly. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of each fish. Coat the fish all over with olive oil (a small kitchen brush helps but you can do this with paper towels) and place in a grilling basket. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the fish, turning occasionally with tongs, for about 10 minutes or until the fish are golden and flake easily. Makes two servings and the recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Tags

by

SUBSCRIBE TO
SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING