Trout à la Meunière

Meuniere (pronounced "mun-YAIR") refers to both a sauce and a method of preparation. The word itself means "miller's wife" ("meunière" is a reference to a miller of wheat) and that etymology provides insight into both culinary uses. The miller's wife of course had easy access to flour, and so to cook something á la meuniere was to cook it by first dredging it in flour. The original French style of trout meunière, then, was seasoned and floured, sautéd in butter, and then topped with the browned butter from the pan.

A meunière sauce is a simple preparation — brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon and the name refers to its unelaborate rustic nature. Trout Meuniere and and its variation Trout Amandine (trout crusted in almonds, traditionally served with a Meunière sauce) are bedrock dishes of New Orleans Creole cuisine.

Á la meuniere is a French cooking technique which can be used with any whole fish or fish fillets (not just trout). Lean, firm white fish like flounder, tilapia, sole, cod, haddock or other lean, firm fish can be used in place of the trout. The filets should be thin so the fish cooks through. This simple procedure will also work nicely with scallops, shrimp.

This simple fried fish dish originated in Normandy, and traditionally uses sole, but, as noted, can be prepared using any type of fish. The method most widely used today is similar to that given by Auguste Escoffier in 1907 whose recipe uses sole: the dark skin is removed from a whole sole; the fish is then is coated with flour, fried in butter, sprinkled with lemon juice and chopped parsley, and served with very hot melted butter poured over it.

Serve with rice, small potatoes (fingerling or new potatoes) and/or a side of green vegetables, such as Green Beans Almondine or simple steamed asparagus.

Whole trout or trout filets
Salt & white pepper
Flour
Butter
Lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley

Season the fish filets to taste with Kosher salt and just a tiny amount of ground white pepper. Dredge the fish in flour and shake off any excess.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute, then add a couple of tablespoons of butter. Gently place the floured fillet into the hot pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until there's a nice golden-brown color, then carefully flip it over. Cook for another couple of minutes or until this side is golden-brown, too.

Remove fish from pan and place it on a warm plate.

Add a chunk of whole butter to the pan and swirl it around. Cook until it turns lightly brown (this is key, do not skip step). Now add a few tablespoons of lemon juice and some chopped parsley to the hot butter. Cook for just a few seconds, letting it bubble a bit, then pour onto the fish and serve right away. Garnish with a slice of lemon if you like.