The Game Department is hard at work, stocking trout in all the appropriate mountain streams and lakes, and fishermen are having early success. That means stocked trout will be welcomed guests at numerous dining room tables, which is good and bad. The bad part is that stocked trout are lacking in flavor, and any flavor they may have tastes like fish food pellets, not crawfish. Hatchery trout spend their entire lives in raceways, eating hatchery food, which makes the fish grow, but not necessarily taste good.
The good part is that with an enterprising chef and a charcoal grill, the same hatchery trout will receive Standing O’s from all the guests at the meal.
Before trying this recipe, though, some basic rules apply. If you fish, put the trout on ice as soon as possible. Trout on a stringer soon perish, and as soon as they die, they begin to spoil, even if left in the water. Ice protects the fish from deterioration, so put them in a cooler with lots of ice as soon as soon as you catch them.
Second, only keep enough trout that you can eat fresh. Frozen stocked trout lose all culinary appeal. They are awful. If you have trout to spare, give them to a friend or a neighbor. Do not put them in a freezer.
Finally, if you have neither the time nor the inclination to wade out in a cold mountain stream and catch a few trout, go to Kroger’s and let them do the catching.
Kroger’s, like many grocery stores, is now offering fresh, whole trout at reasonable prices. Before buying, though, look at the eyes of the trout. They should be clear and firm looking. Second, buy only fresh trout – not those that have been previously frozen. Here’s my favorite recipe.
Grilled Whole Trout
4 cleaned trout, whole, with heads on
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 stick butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
Lemon slices for garnish
Mix a half- cup of Dijon mustard, with 1/3 cup of lemon juice and a stick of melted butter. Rinse the trout thoroughly and remove all internal parts including any blood in the cavity. Then pat the trout down with a paper towel.
Put the trout on a medium hot grill, which has been treated with Pam or a suitable spray. Coat the top side with the mustard/butter/lemon mixture and cook for about 8 minutes, turning only once. Next, coat the second side and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the top side flakes easily with a fork. Reserve some of the sauce and serve with the trout.
Good luck with the fishing or your shopping trips to Kroger’s – and happy cooking.