Today we are back with another great seafood recipe, trout almondine. A simple French dish consisting of pan-fried trout fillets smothered in a delicious sauce made out of lemon, butter, and sliced almonds. And trust me you are going to love it! It’s quick and easy enough to make for your family on a busy weekday. But it’s also fancy enough that you could impress just about any guest that you serve it to.
Almondine vs. Meuniere vs. Piccata
Of course, today is all about making trout almondine. However, it should be noted that almondine is simply one of many variations on a classic French dish called meuniere. The process of making something a la meuniere begins by coating thin slices of meat in flour. Then you simply pan-fry the meat until it is lightly browned and cooked through. But the real secret of a la meuniere is the delicious pan sauce made from browned butter, lemon juice, and parsley.
So how does one transform something from meuniere into almondine?
Simple, you just add in some sliced or slivered almonds to the pan sauce, hence the name almondine.
But it doesn’t stop there as you can just as easily transform the dish into another variation of meuniere called piccata. To do this you simply have to add in a splash of white wine and capers to the pan sauce. So once you have this basic technique down you can easily customize this dish into a number of different recipes.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- While trout is the most traditional type of fish used to make almondine it is not your only choice. You can just as easily swap it out with any other type of thin white meat fish, or even some chicken cutlets.
- Check out our recipe for chicken piccata if that type of sauce interests you.
Trout Almondine Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 Trout fillets
Salt & pepper
⅓ Cup of flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
4 Tablespoons of salted butter
½ Cup of sliced almonds
Juice from 1 large lemon
Garnish:
Parsley, minced
Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Prep the trout fillets: Wash each trout fillet clean with water and pat them dry with some paper towels. Follow this up by sprinkling on some salt and pepper to the flesh of each fillet. Finally, dredge each fillet in the ⅓ cup of flour and use your hands to pat of any excess flour.
- Cook the trout: Pour the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into either a large pan or skillet and place it over medium-high heat. Carefully place each trout fillet into the pan flesh side down, and let them cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes.
You don’t want to overcrowd your pan during this step so you might have to do this in batches. Then flip each fillet over and let them continue to cook for an additional 4 to 5 undisturbed.
Finally, remove the cooked trout fillets from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Make the almondine sauce: Wipe the pan/skillet clean with a towel and place it back over the medium-high heat. Toss in the butter and let it melt. Then toss in the sliced almonds and cook them in the melted butter until it has taken on a nice brown color, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Then take the pan/skillet off of the heat, pour in the lemon juice, and mix everything together.
- Place each trout filet on a separate plate and spoon some of the pan sauce over each. Sprinkle on some minced parsley, and enjoy!
Trout Almondine Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Trout fillets
- Salt & pepper
- ⅓ Cup of flour
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons of salted butter
- ½ Cup of sliced almonds
- Juice from 1 large lemon
Garnish:
- Parsley minced
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Prep the trout fillets: Wash each trout fillet clean with water and pat them dry with some paper towels. Follow this up by sprinkling on some salt and pepper to the flesh of each fillet. Finally, dredge each fillet in the ⅓ cup of flour and use your hands to pat of any excess flour.
- Cook the trout: Pour the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into either a large pan or skillet and place it over medium-high heat. Carefully place each trout fillet into the pan flesh side down, and let them cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t want to overcrowd your pan during this step so you might have to do this in batches. Then flip each fillet over and let them continue to cook for an additional 4 to 5 undisturbed. Finally, remove the cooked trout fillets from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Make the almondine sauce: Wipe the pan/skillet clean with a towel and place it back over the medium-high heat. Toss in the butter and let it melt. Then toss in the sliced almonds and cook them in the melted butter until it has taken on a nice brown color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then take the pan/skillet off of the heat, pour in the lemon juice, and mix everything together.
- Place each trout filet on a separate plate and spoon some of the pan sauce over each. Sprinkle on some minced parsley, and enjoy!
