59 ~ Cows and trout. Or, ‘brook trout’ by any other name.

In this heart of winter, I’ll brighten things up with a revisit to the subject of trout, via a piece I recently published in a fly-fishing magazine (Tenkara Angler) about chasing trout in the Swiss Alps. You can find and read the short piece here.

[Note: Tenkara is the traditional Japanese style of fly-fishing that I do. It simply employs a long, limber rod, with a line of about equal length tied directly to the end of the rod – so no reel, and no extra line with which to play a fish. Haiku fishing.]

When I’ve been blessed to catch some trout, here’s my go-to, equally simple method for preparing them. It works well for whole trout (or any good fish) up to about 12 inches long (30.5 cm).  Larger than that and I start filleting them, and this works well for fillets, too.

-Here’s the key: in advance of cooking - up to a day ahead, but 2 or 3 hours (or even 15 minutes) in advance still good - lightly salt and pepper the outside of the trout (skin on), and liberally dust the cavity (or flesh side of a fillet) with herbs and spices of your choice. My current faves for this are Penzey’s Fox Point blend, and Fish Northern Lights Seasoning from Minnesota-based Lunds & Byerlys. Absent either of those, tarragon works well. Or just let your imagination (and spice rack) move you!

-Put a frying pan on medium heat, and immediately add a good chunk of butter (or better yet, ghee) and let the pan and butter warm together.

-When the butter appears to have some heat  – but before it starts to brown – lay in the fish, and as you do, press on them with a spatula for a few moments to keep the trout from bending and curling.  

-After a few minutes, flip and repeat. Trout of this size (or fillets) don’t take long to cook.  When slightly firm with a bit of rebound when pressed in the thickest part with a finger, they’re done.

Next steps: feast and enjoy, with gratitude to the trout.

Sometimes I like to finish the trout with a drizzle of a simple lemon beurre blanc. Here’s my recipe for an easy version.

Speaking of food and recipes, my wonderful local homeys, Folklore Village, have invited me to teach a series of three classes this year, based on this blog and how to produce or find your own food. The first class will be online February 26, and we’ll explore how to design a vegetable garden to feed you throughout the year (or much of it), with minimized labor, and how to approach feeding the garden as it feeds you, materially and spiritually. The second class will be March 12 here at the farmhouse, on making maple syrup. The final class in the series will revisit one canceled last year (mainly due to Covid), on how to make sauerkraut and kimchi, in-person and hands-on at Folklore Village on August 13.

More information and registration can be found here: https://folklorevillage.org/folk-school/. Sign up early, sign up often, and let’s have some fun!

In the meantime, may the steams that flow through your life in the year ahead flash with an abundance of brilliant trout.  If you look, and squint your eyes against the sometimes harsh glare, you’ll find them.