Sesame Crusted Trout With Ginger Scallion Salad

Hey Jude's Note:

Sounds fancy but it's very easy. This is a nice dinner for two people. Have your fish guy do the deboning of the trout. My husband found this recipe in one of his fishing magazines but it's originally from Lucia's Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minn.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 20 ounces fresh trout , deboned
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• ½ cup lemon juice
• salt , to taste
• pepper , to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Ginger Scallion Salad

• ¼ cup very thinly julienned fresh ginger , about 1-inch long
• ½ cup very thinly julienned scallion , about 1-inch long
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove , finely mashed
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint , roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro , roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Trout: Rinse each trout under cold water and pat dry. Dip each into the lemon juice and then dredge the skinless side in the sesame seeds to coat well. In a heavy-bottom, large saute pan, heat the butter and oil until the foam subsides. Place the trout skin-side-up in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and cook about 5-8 minutes; flip, and cook another 5-8 minutes, or until the flesh is pinkish white and flaky.
2. Ginger Scallion Salad: Combine all ingredients and taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary. Pile a little of the salad on top of each trout.

Reviews

[Meryl]

This was wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to start. First of all, the fish with its sesame coating was very, very bland. The sesame added nothing flavor-wise, and should have been a little toasted first to give it some color. The sauce was also way off. Much too much ginger, which gave it a very strong, bitter taste. Luckily, I started off with less ginger, so it wasn't totally ruined. Also, the ginger would have been better finely chopped, not in long pieces - too much intensity in the mouth at once. And even though I added less ginger, it still was overpowering, so I increased the orange juice and added some lemon juice. I also used less red pepper flakes. In the end, the sauce was good with my tweaks, but the fish was tasteless. Also, the cooking time was way off. Trout fillets take about 5 minutes, not a total of 10-16, as the recipe indicates. I've made trout so many times, I've lost count, and it has always turned out well. Unfortunately, I have to say, this was the worst trout recipe I've ever tried.

[Dr. Jenny]

DH and I made this lovely dish for dinner a few weeks back. This is a really tasty dish with good visual impact. DH thought it had very interesting flavor and enjoyed the recipe as posted. I thought the ginger was a little too potent. Next time, I might cut back a bit on the ginger (maybe cut back by 1 Tb). Thanks for posting this unique way to prepare trout.