From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Trout Amandine It's probable that more orders of this dish have been served in New Orleans white-tablecloth restaurants than any other seafood entree. This version--the classic, enjoyed not just here but in French-tinged restaurants around the world--is a variation of classic fish meuniere. That's seasoned and floured, sauteed in butter, and then topped with the browned butter from the pan. The slivered almonds go into the hot pan when the fish comes out, and cooked until they brown a little. Trout amandine was supplanted to some degree by trout with pecans in the 1980s. (It made sense: pecans grow all around New Orleans, but almonds don't.) But it's still a very popular dish, especially in the more traditional restaurants like Galatoire's and Antoine's. And a very good one. It's good not only with trout, but any soft, white fish: pompano, flounder, sheepshead, drum, redfish, true sea bass (not Chilean), and sole. 1 cup flour 1 tsp. salt-free Creole seasoning 1 tsp. salt 4 fillets speckled trout, about 8 oz. each 2 sticks butter 2 Tbs. lemon juice, strained 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. red wine vinegar 1 cup slivered or slice almonds 1. With a fork, stir the Creole seasoning and salt into the flour. Rinse the fish fillets, pat then with a paper towel (but don't dry completely). Dredge through the seasoned flour. Shake off the excess flour. 2. Melt one stick of the the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When it begins to bubble, sauté the fish fillets, two at a time, about three minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Allow excess butter to drain back into the pan, and keep the fish warm. 3. Add the other stick of butter to the pan, along with the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and vinegar. Whisk the pan ingredients to blend, and bring to bubbling again. 4. Add the almonds and lower the heat a little. Cook until the almonds just begin to turn a little brown at the edges. Spoon the sauce and the almonds over each trout fillet. Serves four. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com