Every once in a while, when the market has a particularly good selection, I like to buy a whole fish to cook up. Trout is a wonderful example of this - the flesh is thin and delicate, the skin gets crispy and delicious, and when buying fresh fish you should check the eyes to ensure you are getting the freshest pick. The eyes should be bright, full, glassy, and round. If the eyes are occluded, cloudy, or sunken do not purchase as it indicates an older / less fresh fish.
The tomato-leek relish adds a lovely brightness. I think leeks are one of the most under-rated vegetables - I had mine left over from making our spiral spanakopita.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the trout:
1 Tb olive oil
1 trout (0.69 lb)
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2-3 slices of lemon
For the Tomato-Leek Relish
2 cloves of garlic, minced
~3.5 inches (50g) leek, bisected and sliced
12 grape tomatoes, halved
1. Spray a small pan for the tomato-leek relish with PAM and turn to medium heat. Add in garlic and leeks and sauté until caramelized.
2. While leeks are caramelizing, prepare and cook trout. First, slice lemon and garlic cloves and dry the inside and outside of the trout with a paper towel. Then stuff the inside of the trout with the lemon slices and garlic (mine only fit two lemon slices).
3. In a large pan, add olive oil and heat to med-high. Gently lay the trout in the pan so as not to lose the stuffed garlic and lemons. Sear on that side for 4-5 minutes.
4. After first side is cooked, use two spatulas to gently flip the trout to the other side. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, once leeks are fully cooked add the halved tomatoes and stir. The tomatoes should slowly cook and release their juices into the mixture.
5. Once trout is fully cooked use your spatula to gently pull the lemon and garlic slices from the fish. Use two spatulas to gently remove fish to serving dish. Sauté the garlic and lemons until soft and nearly caramelized in the remaining oil.
6. Remove the lemons from the garlic and place back inside the cavity of the trout. Pour the garlic and oil from the fish pan into the melted leeks and tomatoes. Stir together to sauté and combine flavors and then garnish the fish with this mixture.
Nutrition Facts (approx.): 1 serving
Calories: 293
Total Fat: 15.4 g
Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
Sodium: 78.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 10.2 g
Added Sugar: 0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Total Protein: 28.5 g
If you wanted to round this out to a larger meal it would pair really well with garlicky spinach!