Sara’s Kitchen: Winning Trout Recipes

Last we spoke, I shared with you the PennLive-sponsored contest for trout grilling. Did any of you enter?

Below are the winning recipes. Bon appetit!

First place » Charcoal Grilled Rainbow Trout With Garlic Butter  |  Ricardo Calla

Ingredients
For the trout:

• 4 large boneless rainbow trout fillets with rib bones removed
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil spray
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter (Groffdale Meadows)
• 2/3 cup white wine (Armstrong Valley Winery Traminette)
• 2/3 cup chicken or seafood stock
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup mixed olives, chopped
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes cut into julienne strips
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Grated lemon zest of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Several whole sprigs of parsley for garnish

For the butter:

• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (Groffdale Meadows)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
• Salt
• White pepper

Directions

For the trout:

1. Make sure the fillets are clean and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Then brush both sides of the fillets with the compound butter (recipe below).
4. You want hot coals for this — you should only be able to hold your hand about 3 inches from the surface of the grill for only 3 to 4 seconds.
5. Spray the grill with the olive oil spray.
6. Grill flesh side first for 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets and then flip the fish over to the skin side for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Place the artichoke hearts on the grill as well and turn with the fish.
8. Set these aside in a bowl until you are ready to prepare the sauce.
9. Remove each fillet to a warm dish to dress with the sauce.
10. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and saute the shallots until translucent.
11. Add the wine, stock, lemon juice and grated lemon zest and reduce by half.
12. Strain out the solids and replace the liquid back into the skillet.
13. Add the capers, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic and olives to the sauce and heat thoroughly through.
14. Plate the fillets with the sauce and vegetables over the top and garnish with lemon zest and parsley.

For the butter:

1. Combine ingredients in a glass bowl and whisk until blended.
2. Chill until ready to use.

Second place » Royal Coachman Grilled Trout Hobo Pack  |  Charlie Gipe

Ingredients

• 2 whole trout, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 strips of bacon, cut each strip in 6 pieces
• 1 cup onions, sliced thin
• Heavy duty foil
• 1 cup corn meal
• 2 lemons
• Old Bay Seasoning

Directions

1. Dry trout inside and out. Rub inside of each trout with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Season with Old Bay.
2. In a saute pan, cook bacon half way. Add onions. Cook till bacon is almost done. Spoon bacon and onion into a bowl and save the bacon fat.
3. Cut foil 6 inches longer than the trout. Cut two for each fish. Put foil on a flat surface with shiny side up. Grease the middle of both foil sheets with bacon fat the size of the trout.
4. Stuff trout with bacon and onion mix and roll in corn meal. Season outside with Old Bay.
5. Place trout in the middle of foil and fold into a seasoned pack.
6. Grill pack on grate over hot coals for 7 to 10 minutes per side, depending on size of trout or until done.
7. To serve, remove trout from foil to a plate. Garnish with 1/2 lemon and squeeze the other lemon over top of trout. Serve with Old Bay.

Third place » Trout Chesapeake  |  Cody Ebersole

Ingredients

• Fresh trout fillets (2 fillets per serving)
• 1 can Chesapeake Blue Crab meat
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Splash of Cassel Vineyards Vidal Blanc

Directions

1. Make a white sauce by heating while stirring, milk and corn starch. Once the sauce has begun to thicken add splash of wine and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Prepare the crabmeat by adding four tablespoons of sauce and stirring until mixture has even consistency.
3. Lay foil on grill and melt butter.
4. Place trout fillets that are stuffed with 2 tablespoons of crab meat onto grill.
5. Cook for 20 minutes or until trout fillets begin to flake.
6. Serve crab stuffed trout fillets  with 2 tablespoons white sauce placed over them.
7. Serve with fresh steamed asparagus and a cup of potato leek soup.

Fourth place » Italian Grilled Trout With Fresh Herbs  |  Karen Wolf

Ingredients

• 1 whole trout (cleaned)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 bottle Italian dressing
• Fresh sprigs of rosemary, parsley and dill
• Lemon slices
• Course sea salt
• Cracked pepper

Directions

1. Pour olive oil and Italian dressing into freezer bag.
2. Score skin of trout several times on each side and place into freezer bag and seal.
3. Clean grill and oil grate.
4. Light charcoal and allow to turn white before putting aluminum foil on grate (oil the foil first).
5. While waiting for charcoal to be ready, take trout out of bag and salt and pepper the inside and out.
6. Place the whole sprigs of herbs inside the cavity, with slices of lemon and 2 tablespoons of butter.
7. Place on aluminum foil over medium/low coals.
8. Cook approx 4-5 minutes per side..
9. Cook until the flesh is white and the skin golden brown.
10. Serve immediately with a fresh green salad and roasted new potatoes with parsley butter.

Fifth place » Primavera Trout  |  Jane Adams

Ingredients

• 1 whole trout
• 1 cup cherry-berry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 cup good quality kalamata olives, pit free, halved
• 1-2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 fresh garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers.
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Season one whole cleaned trout with salt and pepper.
2. Mix ingredients and place inside the trout.
3. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on trout and place several lemon slices on top.
4. Wrap in foil.
5. Grill on charcoal.
6. Optional: Shortly before completion, sprinkle with feta cheese crumbles.

These recipes originally appeared in PennLive/The Patriot-News.