I'd been away, and the fridge was bare. I called at Lidl on the way home with no particular intention — just a vague sense that I needed to eat. A couple of trout fillets winked at me from the chilled counter. One for dinner, one for the freezer — the kind of fillet that ends up as Smoked Trout Fish Cakes. I grabbed a bag of potatoes and a solid white cabbage, and that was that.

This pan-fried trout with lemon cream sauce was ready before I'd had time to open a beer. I ate it on the roof terrace.

Pan-Fried Trout with Lemon Cream Sauce — Prepare First, Cook Fast

This dish rewards a little preparation. Par-boil your potatoes, then leave them to cool before slicing — they'll hold their shape better in the pan. Thinly slice the cabbage; I like mine with a bit of bite, so a quick flash in butter with sea salt and white pepper is all it gets. Sauté the potato slices first, then the cabbage in the same pan, then set both aside on a warm plate. The pan-fried trout goes in last and takes no time at all.

One note before you start: the fishmonger will almost certainly have missed some pin bones. Run your finger along the lateral line and pull any you find with a pair of tweezers. Worth doing before you're hungry.

The Trout

Hot pan, butter and a splash of oil. Skin-side down, press gently for the first 30 seconds so the fillet doesn't curl, then leave it alone. When you can see the flesh has cooked about two-thirds of the way up, flip it — 45 seconds on the flesh side is enough. Lay it skin-side up over the potato and cabbage so the skin stays crisp.

The Lemon Cream Sauce

With the fish resting on its vegetable bed, work quickly. Add a pinch of turmeric to the pan — it lifts what would otherwise be an insipid-looking cream sauce into something with warmth and colour. Pour in the cream and stir thoroughly, scraping up the pan juices. Off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, add the flat-leaf parsley, stir, and pour straight over the fish.

The same lemon cream sauce works beautifully with white fish — if you want to try it with something a little leaner, take a look at White Fish in Lemon Cream Sauce.

Serve immediately. Cream sauces wait for no one.

Ingredients

• 1 trout fillet, skin on, pin bones removed
• 2–3 medium potatoes, par-boiled and sliced
• ¼ white cabbage, finely sliced
• Butter, sea salt, white pepper
• Pinch of turmeric
• 100ml double cream
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Prep
Par-boil the potatoes until just tender. Cool, then slice. Finely slice the cabbage.

Sauté the vegetables
Heat butter in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. Sauté the potato slices until golden. Remove and set aside on a warm plate. Add a little more butter to the same pan, flash the cabbage with sea salt and white pepper until just wilted. Lay over the potatoes and keep warm.

Pan-fry the trout
Wipe the pan. Heat butter and a splash of oil over a high heat. Place the trout skin-side down, press gently for 30 seconds, then leave it alone for 3–4 minutes until the flesh is cooked two-thirds of the way up. Flip, cook for 45 seconds on the flesh side. Lay skin-side up over the vegetable bed.

The lemon cream sauce
Return the pan to the heat. Add a pinch of turmeric, pour in the cream and stir, scraping up the pan juices. Off the heat, add lemon juice and parsley, stir, and pour immediately over the fish.

Footnote:

This pan fried trout recipe is featured in my Fish & Seafood Recipes hub — fish and seafood dishes from the coast and the Casa Adora kitchen.

This lemon cream sauce is featured in my Sauces, Salsas and Dressings hub — a collection of proper sauces for every occasion.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef