Taste of the Wild: Rainbow trout fillets poached in lemon butter white wine sauce

Fishing is one of those things that I never imagined liking as much as I do now.

My dad would take my three sisters and me fishing at the lake by our house when we were small. We’d cram into a tiny rowboat and my dad would try to enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors while we’d fidget about and try to keep the boat as still as possible.

You can imagine how well that went. I always imagined we would tip over and I’d have to swim to shore in the massive lake. At least now I can look back on it and laugh and realize how truly silly we all must have looked, getting the line caught in each other’s hair, or tangling it on a submerged log.

I don’t know exactly when I started to like being outdoors in the winter, but I can thank my husband for pushing me out of my comfort zone and taking us on adventures in the snow.

Last year, our kids learned how to use their first jigging rods, and I caught my first trout while ice fishing. I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed one trout that I have ever cooked until recently. I always struggled with deboning and seasoning them, but I was determined to create a dish that I loved, like all the other dishes I prepare during the summer with sunfish and crappies.

I hope you enjoy the results of this effort as much as I do.

4 SERVINGS | PREP TIME: 30 MIN. | COOK TIME: 30 MIN.

INGREDIENTS

½ pound bacon, diced

1 medium shallot, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup Pinot Grigio wine

Juice of half of one medium-sized lemon

Pinch of lemon zest

½ cup water

¼ cup non-pareil capers

¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

4 Trout fillets

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook bacon until crisp and set aside, leaving bacon drippings in pan.

2. On medium heat, sauté shallots, garlic, and 2 tablespoons butter 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add all-purpose flour and whisk to create roux.

4. Pour in white wine and whisk until all lumps are gone and it turns into a sauce.

5. Add lemon juice and zest and lower temperature to a simmer.

6. Slowly stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup water. Sauce will begin to bubble.

7. Mix in half of the crispy bacon and the capers. Stir in cheese.

8. Let sauce cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally.

9. Lay trout fillets skin down in the sauce and simmer 10 more minutes.

10. Serve with blackened string beans and mushrooms over rice or on top of a bed of garlic-buttered noodles. Sprinkle remaining bacon on top and dig in.

Photo and recipe by Natalie Auer

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Natalie Auer is an avid cook and new hunter/angler. She lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York state with her two children and husband, Jon. She attended college in Poughkeepsie, New York, at Marist College School of Business and studied fine arts. She works in banking and loves to spend as much time as she can outdoors with her family.

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