Pan-Fried Trout with Brown Butter
Crisp-skinned freshwater trout fillets spooned with a fragrant, nutty brown butter sauce, salty baby capers, and fresh lemon.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 385 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-based frypan
- •Fish slice or spatula
- •Paper towel
- •Small bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 385 kcal
- fat
- 26 g
- carbs
- 6 g
- fibre
- 0.5 g
- protein
- 32 g
- calories
- 385 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pat the trout fillets completely dry on both sides using paper towel.
- 2
Mix the plain flour, sea salt, and black pepper together in a shallow dish.
- 3
Dust only the skin side of each fillet lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- 4
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frypan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- 5
Place the fillets skin-side down in the pan, pressing gently with a fish slice for 10 seconds.
- 6
Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.
- 7
Turn the fillets carefully and cook the flesh side for 1 to 2 minutes until just cooked through.
- 8
Transfer the trout fillets to warm serving plates, keeping the skin side facing up.
- 9
Wipe out the pan quickly, return to medium heat, and add the diced butter.
- 10
Swirl the butter for 2 minutes until it foams, turns golden-brown, and smells nutty.
- 11
Stir in the capers and lemon juice, then remove the pan immediately from the heat.
- 12
Spoon the brown butter sauce over the fish and scatter with chopped parsley.
Chef's tips
Drying the fish skin thoroughly before flouring is crucial for achieving a crisp finish. Watch the butter closely once it foams; it turns from aromatic brown to burnt very quickly.
Ingredient substitutions
- plain flour → rice flour or gluten-free plain flour for a gluten-free crust
- brown trout → rainbow trout or ocean trout fillets
- baby capers → finely chopped green olives
Storage
Store leftover cooked trout in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Reheating
Warm gently skin-side down in a dry frypan over medium-low heat for 3 minutes to restore crispness without drying out the flesh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcrowding the frypan, which causes the fish to steam rather than crisp
- •Leaving the butter on high heat too long until it scorches black
- •Attempting to flip the fish before the skin has crisped and naturally released from the pan
Serving suggestions
Cooked Pan-Fried Trout with Brown Butter?
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