Trout Amandine (Trout Almondine)

From My New Orleans: The Cookbook by John Besh. Remember to use sea salt in the Creole Spice mix. The equivalent of table salt will prove to be too salty.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  cup milk
• 1  cup flour
• 1  tablespoon  basic  creole spices (recipe follows)
• 4  skinless trout fillets (5-7 ounces each)
•  sea salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 8  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup  sliced almonds
• 1  lemon, juice of
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh parsley

• Basic Creole Spices (Makes 1/4 Cup)

• 1  tablespoon  celery salt
• 1⁄2 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1⁄2 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

1. To Make Creole Spice Mix: Mix together all spices in a bowl. Transfer the spices to a clean container with a tight-fitting lid. Store up to six months.
2. To Make Trout Amandine: Pour the milk into a breading tray or wide dish. Put the flour and 1 tablespoon Creole Spices into another breading tray and stir to combine. Season the filets with salt and pepper, dip them into the milk and dredge in the seasoned flour.
3. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fillets and cook on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter.
4. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the skillet over the heat so that the butter melts evenly and cook until the butter turns brownish, 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the almonds, and cook, stirring gently, until the nuts are toasty brown, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and a dash of salt.
5. Spoon the browned butter and almonds over the fish and serve.