Pan-Fried Trout (Easy)

When it comes to cooking and eating seafood you should generally follow that mantra “fresh is always best”.  Unfortunately here in Colorado, our options for fresh seafood are pretty limited.  We don’t have a coastline, and there aren’t any great lakes, meaning our only option for fresh seafood is whatever we can get out of our rivers.  Luckily it’s not as bad as it sounds as there is one thing that is bountiful in our colorado rivers. 

No, I’m not talking about rocky mountain oysters….  Those are actually bovine *cough* “huevos”.  What I’m referring to is the huge number of trout that fills our rivers.  They are a great fish to cook with as they are mild in flavor, the meat has a light and flaky texture, and one fillet is often a perfectly sized portion.  So today I’d like to show you my go-to way for preparing them, pan-fried trout!

Not only is this a great way to cook trout fillets, but it’s also incredibly easy.  You start by dusting the trout fillets in a simple dry rub made out of paprika, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper.  Then you lightly dredge each trout fillet in some flour.  And finally, you just fry each trout fillet in a pan with some oil and butter until nice a crispy.  It’s really that easy and only takes about 15 minutes to make.  So if you’re ready then let’s get to making our easy pan-fried trout.

Tips, Trick & Suggestions

• While I mainly use this recipe for making trout it is also a great way for preparing other types of fish.  As long as the fish is relatively thin like tilapia, bass, or Dover sole it should work great.
• Should you leave the skin on, or take the skin off?  Well, personally I’m too lazy to remove the skin, and once the trout is cooked the meat should easily come off the skin with a fork.  So if you want to take it off then be my guest, but it’s really not necessary.
• You can make a gluten-free version of this recipe by swapping out the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour.
• Some of my favorite things to serve this with are parsley potatoes, cheddar chive drop biscuits, saffron rice, or Shirazi salad.

Easy Pan-Fried Trout Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 8 minutes

Servings: 3 to 4

Ingredients

3 to 4 Trout fillets

¼ Cup of all-purpose flour

½ Teaspoon of salt

½ Teaspoon of black pepper

½ Teaspoon of smoked paprika

¼ Teaspoon of granulated garlic, or garlic powder

2 Tablespoons of butter

3 Tablespoons of oil

Lemon wedges 

Instructions

1. Make the dry rub by combining the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and granulated garlic in a bowl.

2. Prep the trout fillets: Wash each trout fillet and then pad them dry with paper towels.  Then distribute the dry rub on the meat side of each fillet and rub it in.  Next, pour the ¼ cup of flour onto a plate and dredge each side of a trout fillet into the flour.  Make sure that the entirety of the fillet is covered in flour.  Finally, shake the fillet to remove any excess flour and repeat the steps with the remaining filets.

3. Pan-fry the trout: Add the butter and oil to a large walled pan and place it over medium-high heat until the butter has melted.  Slowly place the trout fillets into the pan meat side down and let them fry for 3 to 4 minutes.  Flip the trout fillets over and let them fry for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Take the pan-fried trout fillets out of the pan and onto some plates.  Serve it with your favorite sides and squeeze the juice of a lemon wedge over the top, enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Easy Pan-Fried Trout Recipe

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 Trout fillets
• ¼ Cup of all-purpose flour
• ½ Teaspoon of salt
• ½ Teaspoon of black pepper
• ½ Teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ¼ Teaspoon of granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 3 Tablespoons of oil
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

• Make the dry rub by combining the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and granulated garlic in a bowl.
• Prep the trout fillets: Wash each trout fillet and then pad them dry with paper towels. Then distribute the dry rub on the meat side of each fillet and rub it in. Next, pour the ¼ cup of flour onto a plate and dredge each side of a trout fillet into the flour. Make sure that the entirety of the fillet is covered in flour. Finally, shake the fillet to remove any excess flour and repeat the steps with the remaining filets.
• Pan-fry the trout: Add the butter and oil to a large walled pan and place it over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Slowly place the trout fillets into the pan meat side down and let them fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the trout fillets over and let them fry for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
• Take the pan-fried trout fillets out of the pan and onto some plates. Serve it with your favorite sides and squeeze the juice of a lemon wedge over the top, enjoy!

Looking for other ways to make trout?  Then check out these recipes.

Mediterranean pan-seared trout from The Mediterranean Dish

Trout with garlic lemon butter herb sauce from Julia Album