RecipeFrom A Past Edition Of
The New Orleans Menu Daily
By Tom Fitzmorris
Trout Meuniere Creole 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.

The New Orleans twist is better than the French classic, I'd say. It was invented by Count Arnaud who, trying to standardize and 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 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 Tbs. salt-free Creole seasoning
  • 1 Tbs. salt
  • 6 fillets speckled trout, about 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. With a fork, stir the Creole seasoning and salt into the flour.

2. Rinse the trout fillets and pat dry. Dredge the fish through the remaining seasoned flour, and knock off the excess.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, stir in the remaining seasoned flour and make a roux, stirring constantly, until it's medium brown.

4. When the right color is reached, whisk the roux into the veal stock until the roux is dissolved into the stock. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Cook for three minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Keep the sauce warm while you prepare the fish.

5. You can sauté 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.
Click here for an index of recipes from past editions.
© 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com