Trout Meuniere Old Style
The word "meuniere" is a reference to the miller of wheat, whose wife (according to French lore) cooked everything coated with flour. The original French style of trout meuniere was coated with seasoned flour, sautéed in butter, and then topped with the browned butter from the pan. This is still more or less how the dish is done in some restaurants--notably Galatoire's.
But there's a Creole version of the sauce for trout meuniere. I like it better than the French classic. It was invented by Count Arnaud who, trying to stabilize the sauce so the fish could be fried instead of sautéed, added a bit of stock and roux to the butter and lemon. At its best, this sauce is incredibly good, and works not just on trout but also on other fried seafoods, notably oysters.
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbs. salt-free Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 6 fillets speckled trout, 6-8 oz. each
- 10 Tbs. butter
- 1 cup veal stock
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice, strained
- 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
- Peanut oil for frying
1. Combine the flour, Creole seasoning and salt in a wide, flat-bottomed bowl (a soup bowl is perfect).
2. Rinse the trout fillets and pat dry. Dredge the fish through the seasoned flour, and knock off the excess. Place the fish in a pan on waxed paper and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, stir in 1/2 cup of the leftover seasoned flour and make a roux, stirring constantly, until it's medium brown.
4. When the right color is reached, add the veal stock and whisk until the roux is dissolved into the stock. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Whisk now and then while cooking, until the sauce is thick enough to flow but not slosh. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep it warm while you prepare the fish.
5. You can pan-fry the fish in butter if you like, but it's more common in New Orleans to fry it in about an inch of 375-degree oil. Either way, cook till golden brown (about two minutes per side.)
6. Nap with the sauce and serve with lemon wedges.
Serves six.
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