Pan-Fried White Trout with a Tomato-Cucumber Salsa and Almond Rice

Apparently this week is all about pan fried fish with various chutneys and salsas. Yet, despite the pattern, each is vastly different from the textures and flavors of the fish to the ingredients and combination of the toppings. It keeps life exciting!

Here, I pan-fried up some fresh white trout to get a slight, crispy browning on the outside and served it topped with a cucumber tomato salsa with a touch of zing to it. The fish was served with some rice dressed up with green onions, almonds, and a few flavorings that keeps simple simple while adding just a few accents. Finally, I sauteed some broccoli with garlic to round out the meal.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 30 min
Cost: $20.34



Almond Rice
Time: 25 min

Ingredients:
1 c basmati rice (uncooked)
1/4 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp slivered almonds
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. When the rice is done, simply fluff it with a fork and then add the green onions, almonds, and black pepper. Use a fork to mix evenly while keeping the rice fluffy.

Pan-Fried White Trout with a Tomato-Cucumber Salsa
Time: 25 min

Ingredients:
1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 c cucumber, diced
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp shallots, diced
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon rind, grated
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb white trout fillets




First, make the salsa. Put the tomatoes, cucumber, basil, shallots, balsamic vinegar, lemon rind, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle on 1/4 tsp black pepper. Toss until the salsa is well combined and then set aside for the flavors to soak.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat and let that heat as well. Put the trout fillets in the pan when the oil is hot, skin side down. Sprinkle them with the rest of the black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 minutes. Flip back over and remove if done or continuing cooking until fully cooked. (The fish flakes easily when cooked.) Remove from the pan and serve with the salsa over the fish.