Herb-Crusted Steelhead Trout

If you want to level up your fish game, it’s time to try something new or never tried. I recently had a small family get-together and needed something I’d never served before. My people have come to expect new and exciting every time! I knew I wanted to serve a fish but was having trouble coming up with ideas. It just so happened that while I was in the grocery store there was a sale on steelhead trout. Now, I am a big fan of rainbow trout. Huge fan of rainbow trout, huge. But in all my years I had not tried steelhead. So I bought it. Then I Googled it.

A quick search revealed that steelhead and rainbow trout are actually the same species. Rainbow stays in freshwater but steelhead will inhabit both fresh and ocean waters. I then began to wonder if steelhead would taste like salmon given that they look so much alike. So I decided I would prepare the steelhead according to one of my favorite salmon recipes…herb-crusted with thyme, basil and parsley. Btw, here is a post I did on herbs. I discovered that steelhead doesn’t have the same fat content as salmon. It is less fatty. And since it is a mostly freshwater fish, it doesn’t have the flavor of the sea. It has a milder flavor.

Yes! Herb-crusted steelhead trout! I like it…I like it a lot. But, I will let you judge for yourself. The complete dish is trout with pan-fried potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts with a warm bacon vinaigrette.

Herb-Crusted Steelhead Trout

Recipe by Tim GreenwoodCourse: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Steelhead trout with an herb crust of thyme, basil, and parsley.

Ingredients

• 2 lb steelhead trout filet

• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 Tbsp of olive oil

• 1 Tbsp dried thyme

• 1 Tbsp dried basil

• 1 Tbsp dried parsley

• 1/8 cup plain bread crumbs

• 1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

• If necessary, remove the skin. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Apply a layer of mustard to the non-skin side of the fish.
• Mix the thyme, basil, parsley and bread crumbs. Apply to the mustard layer.
• Heat olive oil in saute pan.
• On med-high heat, saute herb-side down until browned and crispy. About 1-2 minutes.
• Turn fish and saute other side. About 1-2 minutes.
• Place saute pan in pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake until desired doneness. For me, it was about 5-6 minutes.
• Serve with a drizzle of browned butter.