Photo shows the Pecan Crusted Trout served with
Fresh Mango Salsa
and
Piñon Cakes.
This recipe
and photos are courtesy of Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX.
Check out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Recipes.
Cynthia says,
"Seafood is much more common in Spain and México than New
Mexico. Think of the geography, Spain, México, and a large percentage of
South and Central American countries are bordered by the ocean whereas New
Mexico isn’t. What New Mexico does have is some wonderful mountain streams
and rivers teeming with Fresh Mountain Trout and other fresh water fish. It
is difficult to find many seafood dishes even in modern New Mexico where
long distance shipping of these foods is possible. However, even with the
limited amount of seafood, New Mexico does have some wonderful dishes based
around fish and other seafood. During the fasting days of Lent, Fridays are
a meatless day with fish being used in abundance. The large population of
Catholics in these Hispanic countries, including New Mexico, makes fish
dished very popular during this time.
I will
never forget fishing at Bonito Lake outside of Ruidoso, New Mexico and
seeing fresh water crawfish at the water’s edge. These made a wonderful
addition to our fish we cooked at day’s end. This recipe is best when made
with fresh mountain trout, but can also be made with any other white fish,
such as cod, snapper, mahi mahi, or the multitude of others available in
your market."
More delicious
Trout Recipes
and also
How To Select, Buy, and Cook Fish.
Pecan Crusted Trout (Pescados
Cortezudos de la Pacana)
Recipe Type:
Trout,
Fish,
Pecans
Yields: 4 to 5 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
4 to 6 fresh mountain trout, or other white flesh fish (each fish should be about 5 ounces)
1 cup toasted pecans*
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons clarified butter** or olive oil
Fresh Mango Salsa
Piñon Cakes
* To toast pecans; place in a dry, hot
skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned. Stir
constantly, or shake the pan, to keep the nuts from burning. You will begin
to smell the aroma of toasted pecans when the oils are released and they are
done. Be careful not to cook these too long as they burn easily.
** Clarified butter has a much higher smoke
point and can be used more readily for sautéing and searing. To clarify
butter, simmer 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan until the mixture separates.
After the water has evaporated, the milk solids will begin to fry in the
clear butterfat. When they begin to turn golden, remove the pan from the
heat and pour the butter through a fine strainer lined with damp cheesecloth
into a heatproof container. If the cheesecloth is damp, all the butterfat
will pass through, otherwise some will be absorbed by the cloth.
Preparation:
Soak the cedar plank submerged
in water for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
Place
the toasted pecans and the flour in your food processor, or blender, and
pulse 3 to 4 times. Stop and scrape down the sides. Continue this until the
mixture resembles a coarse grit. Place in a large shallow bowl or a plate
for dredging the fish.
To
prepare the fish, rinse in cold water and sprinkle evenly with the salt. NOTE:
Do NOT dry the fish. The water is what will help to coat the fish.
Dredge the fish in the pecan and flour mixture, coating well.
You will need to use an oven-proof skillet to cook the fishcast-iron
skillets
works well for this). Over
medium-high heat, heat the 2 tablespoons of clarified butter (or olive
oil) until it is just beginning to smoke. Place the fish into the pan and
brown lightly on both sides. Remove the pan from the heat, and place into
the preheated oven, cooking for approximately 6 to 10 minutes, or until the
fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serves about 4 or 5 people.
