Ingredients
- For the trout
- 2 trout, cleaned* (about 350g each)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- salt
- pepper
- 75g butter
- juice of a lemon
- For the garnish
- 50g flaked almonds
- 60g butter
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Method
For the trout
Preheat oven to 120C. Place an ovenproof serving platter in the oven before you start to cook. And a small plate beside the stove for the cooked almonds.
Season flour and roll each fish in it. Heat a pan that will hold both fish comfortably and drop in two-thirds of the butter. As soon as the butter melts and starts to froth, put in the fish. Cook briskly without poking for about 4 minutes. Turn fish over. It should have a lovely brown crust on the first side. Lower the heat and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
Photo: Marina Oliphant
Turn heat to full, quickly add the lemon juice, shake the pan as it hisses and drop in the last bit of butter. Transfer fish and all the juices to the serving platter.
For the garnish
Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper - don't wash it - and drop in the almonds and half of the butter for the garnish and lower the heat. Stir with a slotted spoon until the almonds have started to colour. Quickly scoop them to the small plate.
Add the tomatoes and the rest of the butter. Cover the pan for 4 minutes. The tomatoes should have softened and the juices will be a pinky-gold.
Tip the almonds back in, quickly stir in the parsley and spoon garnish over the trout and serve.
A dish of hot boiled potatoes is the best accompaniment.
