Most restaurants here in Georgia that profess to have a “Southern” flair will have some variation of Georgian trout on the menu. First of all, it’s local. Secondly, there’s something uber-Georgian about the combination of sweet pecans grown here in the state and trout that makes it twice as Southern—or so it seems.
This is a really simple and fast dish, and great for when you want a restaurant-quality dinner, but you don’t want to spend hours making it.
½ cup (75 g) almond flour
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup (50 g) toasted pecans, roughly chopped
4 6- to 8-ounce (150–230 g) pieces of trout
2 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
¼ cup (60 mL) lemon juice
½ cup (120 mL) white wine
¼ cup (45 g) capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Place the almond flour along with some salt and pepper on a large plate or shallow dish.
- Whisk the egg whites slightly, and place into a separate dish and put the pecans into a third dish.
- Working one piece at a time, dredge the trout flesh side down first into the flour mixture, then into the eggs, then into the pecans, pressing down to get nuts to adhere. Set aside and repeat process with other pieces of fish.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the fish (in batches if necessary) skin side up (nuts side down) and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip over and cook another 4–5 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and skin is golden.
- Remove fish to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the butter, lemon juice, and wine to the pan, scraping to bring up any of the browned bits from the fish.
- Add the capers and whisk to combine all, until heated through. Stir in the parsley, and pour sauce over the fish to serve.
Variations—If you can’t find trout, some decent substitutions might be bluefish, salmon, or arctic char.
