How to Pan-Fry a Trout Steak: Simple Recipe

Name: How to Pan-Fry a Trout Steak: Simple Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Trout steak (350-400 g) 2; Vegetable oil 1 tsp; Cotton thread auxiliary materials; Lemon for serving

Of all the ways to cook fish, frying is the most popular. Here is how to pan-fry trout, or any other large fish with red flesh, so that it is delicious, cooks through and looks appealing, without spoiling it. It is easy if you follow this method, so give it a try. As a rule, we buy trout steaks or steaks of other salmonids, sold as pieces cut across the fish and weighing 250-400 grams.

Frying means cooking in which heat is passed from the source to the food through contact with fat. Unlike searing, where the food stays a little raw inside, frying forms a golden crust that locks all the juices in the meat or fish, and that is very important. At home, fish is mostly fried in a pan with vegetable oil, which is the simplest and most familiar way.

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Ingredients

2 servings

Trout steak (350-400 g) 2
Vegetable oil 1 tsp
Cotton thread auxiliary materials
Lemon for serving

Step-by-step recipe

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So, how to pan-fry trout so it turns out tasty. First, buy large fish steaks cut across the fish from the part with the belly cavity. The pieces should be 4-5 cm thick. Shops are usually too lazy to scale fish, but if you don't eat the skin of fried fish, you can skip scaling and remove the scales together with the skin after frying. Still, scales come off easily with a small knife under running water.
The next step is preparing the pieces for frying. Using sharp scissors and a knife, cut through the bones between the backbone and the dorsal fin. Then very carefully cut out the rest of the backbone together with the rib bones with a knife. By the way, the long rib bones are easy to pull out with your fingers. Run your fingers over the fish to make sure all the bones are gone.
Note that we don't salt the fish or use any spices at all! As a result, the trout has a very delicate, natural flavor, typical of fresh fried fish. If there are remains of fins around the belly, cut them off. Next, roll the boneless fish into a tight circle that looks like a patty. Take one of the pieces, the belly part, roll it into a spiral, pressing it into the middle of the steak, and then wrap the second piece around it.
Prepare a strong cotton thread; we use “Iris”. Synthetic fibers in the thread can make it burn. Use the thread to hold the spiral-rolled pieces together and tie it around the prepared fish in several turns, so it doesn't fall apart when you turn it. This matters because fish is very delicate and its flesh lies in layers: one careless move and the piece falls apart. Put the prepared, tied pieces on a plate.
You can use a regular frying pan or a grill pan. Grease the bottom of the pan with a little odorless vegetable oil. Put the pan on high heat. As soon as the oil is hot, you can start frying. It is important to handle the fish very carefully, so it doesn't fall apart and the hot oil doesn't splatter. Use a spatula to place the fish in the well-heated pan.
By the way, I get the best result when I cover the pan loosely with a lid. You need some ventilation, otherwise the fish will steam. Fry the fish for about 4 mins over high heat. Then turn it over and fry for another 4 mins until a crust forms. Its job is to keep all the juices inside, so the finished fish stays juicy. It is easiest to turn the pieces with a spatula or tongs with silicone tips, like those often used for grilling.
Next, reduce the heat to medium or slightly higher. Fry the trout pieces on both sides for another 4 mins each, which is enough for thick pieces to cook through. You can carefully pierce the fish at the thickest spot to check that it is done. To serve, use a large plate: transfer the fish to it and cut off the thread with sharp scissors.
If you don't eat the skin of fried trout, carefully peel it off. Add a quarter of a large, juicy lemon to the plate. It is the only seasoning for fried trout and it brings out the delicate flavor of good fish; salt, pepper and other spices are completely unnecessary here.