Pan-fried Mountain Rainbow Trout with Green Tomato and Lime Butter Salsa on Sweet Potato, Artichoke, and Crayfish Hash ►
Complex and simple: this combination of hash and Rainbow trout is a little of each. The trout is simply prepared in the pan, and the pan juices are incorporated into a sauce with butter and lime juice. On the other hand, the hash combines sweet potatoes, bell peppers, garlic, crawfish tails, and baby artichokes — not something you’d find in any old diner! Ben Barker centers with plates with the hash and serves the trout, shining with butter sauce, alongside.
Ingredients
- Salad
- Tomatillo - 1⁄4 cup chopped, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Green-Ripening Tomatoes - 3 ounces, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Serranos - 1 to 2 red or green, seeded and cut into fine slivers
- Pasilla - 1, roasted, peeled, and julienned (alt. poblano chile)
- Hash
- Olive Oil - 1⁄2 cup
- Sweet potatoes - 1 pound, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Onion - 2⁄3 cup chopped, peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Red Bell Pepper - 1⁄3 cup seeded, chopped, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Yellow Bell Pepper - 1⁄3 cup seeded, chopped, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Garlic - 1 tablespoon, peeled and minced
- Crawfish Tail Meat - 4 ounces, cooked, split lengthwise
- Baby Artichokes - 1⁄3 cup, marinated in olive oil and cut into eighths (alt. artichoke bottoms cut into wedges)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Italian Parsley, Cilantro, and Oregano - 1⁄4 cup, chopped, mixed,
- Trout
- Olive Oil - 1⁄4 cup
- Italian Parsley, Cilantro, and Oregano - 1⁄2 cup, chopped, mixed
- Trout - 4 10-ounce, butterflied rainbow
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Unsalted Butter - 6 tablespoons, cut into 3 to 4 pieces
- Lime Juice - 1⁄4 cup, freshly squeezed
- Garlic Cloves - 4, poached in 3 changes of water until tender, peeled, and thinly sliced
Instructions
To make the salsa: In a medium mixing bowl combine the diced tomatillo, green tomatoes, slivered serrano, and julienned pasilla or poblano chile. Stir to combine and set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
To make the hash: In a large saute pan or skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the raw sweet potatoes and saute 2 minutes or until the potatoes start to caramelize and soften. Add the onion and peppers and cook 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the crawfish tails and artichokes and warm through. Season generously with salt and pepper, and toss with herbs. Divide among 4 warm serving platters.
To make the trout: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In one or two large ovenproof saute pans heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Divide half of the herbs into fourths, and sprinkle the cavities of the trout. Season the cavities liberally with salt and fresh black pepper. Place the trout on one side in the saute pan(s), reduce the heat to medium, and cook 3 minutes. Turn the trout and place the pan(s) in the oven. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the flesh is just firm at the backbone. Remove the trout from the oven and season with salt, pepper, and the remaining herbs.
In an 8-inch saute pan melt the butter over high heat until past the foaming point. It will begin to brown lightly and will smell nutty. Caution: The butter will sizzle and splatter! Add lime juice, poached garlic, and salsa, and toss to warm.
To assemble: Divide the hash equally among the 4 plates. Set the trout alongside, and pour 2 tablespoons of the hot salsa over each serving.
