Colorado gets a lot of ink for its peaches and lamb chops and beers, but too often unsung is one of Colorado’s best local products: trout.
For such a ubiquitous fish, trout makes for a remarkably rewarding supper. It’s flavorful, especially wild trout, which exhibits a terroir of sorts, a taste-reflection of the stream it was pulled from.
Trout is easy and quick to prepare and forgiving with heat. It’s hard to screw it up. Trout pairs beautifully with acidy sides like a fresh tomato panzanella salad, or with sweeter matchups like sweet corn and butter.
If you can pull your trout straight from a stream, good on you (and I’ll be over to pick up my take later). But if you’re limited to in-town purveyance, ask your favorite vendor for locally caught or farmed trout, meaty and clear-eyed and shiny. Inquire when it arrived, and choose the freshest.
Then, do something extremely simple with it, as in the recipe below, and enjoy it with a few roasted new potatoes, some green beans sauteed with shallots and vinegar, and a lively, summery Spanish garnacha rose.
Trucha u la Navarra
From “The Cuisines of Spain,” by Teresa Barrenchea (Ten Speed Press). This can also be prepared with an ovenproof skillet on the grill; close the grill-top for the final few minutes of baking. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 ( 1/ 2-pound) trout, cleaned, with heads intact if desired
Salt
Juice of 1/2lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
5 thin slices jamon serrano or other dry-cured ham
All-purpose flour for coating
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat- leaf parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the trout with salt inside and out. Sprinkle the lemon juice inside the trout and set aside.
In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Place 4 ham slices in the pan and sear, turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes total, or until lightly browned on both sides. Using tongs, remove the ham from the pan and lay 1 slice inside each trout. Reserve the oil in the skillet.
Spread the flour in a shallow bowl. One at a time, roll the trout in the flour to coat on all sides, shaking off any excess.
Return the skillet with the oil to high heat. When oil is hot, add the trout and fry, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the fish are golden on the outside but undercooked inside. Using a wide slotted spatula, transfer the trout to a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate them. Again, reserve the oil in the skillet.
Finely chop the remaining ham slice. Return the skillet with the oil to high heat and add the chopped ham. Saute briefly, then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until it turns golden. Remove from the heat and spoon the contents of the skillet evenly over the trout.
Bake the trout for 10 minutes, or until they are opaque when tested with a knife tip near the backbone. Remove from the oven and transfer to warmed plates, spooning any sauce from the pan over the top. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
