This dish is pretty simple, although it looks fancy-dancy. It's simply seared fish, a very simple sauce, and greens cooked in butter. Once you make this recipe a second or third time, it will come together in less than 30 minutes and will impress your friends.
Recipe by Hank Shaw on May 27, 2013
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT30M
Rating
5 stars (13 reviews)
Keywords
saffron, spring recipes, trout
Ingredients
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup orange juice
A healthy pinch of saffron, (crumbled)
A healthy pinch of sugar
1 shallot, (minced)
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds tender greens, (such as spinach or amaranth or lambsquarters)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil, (divided)
A splash of water, (maybe 3 tablespoons)
Grated zest of an orange
Salt to taste
1 1/2 pounds trout or salmon fillets
Sprigs of pea or vetch flowers, for garnish ((optional))
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Steps
Make the sauce by bringing the white wine, orange juice, saffron, sugar and shallot to a boil in a small pot. Simmer strongly for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and puree the sauce in a blender. Return it to the pot and turn the heat to low. Add salt to taste and keep warm, but don't boil it.
Cook in the greens in 2 tablespoons of butter or oil over high heat in a large sauté pan, stirring constantly until they wilt. Add the splash of water, the orange zest and some salt and cover the pot. Lower the heat to medium-low and steam the greens for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Sear the fish by heating the remaining butter in a pan large enough to hold the fish -- if you don't have such a pan, put a baking sheet in the oven and set the oven to 200°F so you can keep the fish warm as you do this in batches. Heat the butter over high heat until it stops frothing. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and set it skin-side down in the hot butter. Turn the heat down to medium-high for a typical trout fillet (like you see in the picture) or to medium if you are working with a thicker piece of fish.
Let the fish cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then use a large spoon to baste the meat side of the fish with the hot butter. Do this constantly for 90 seconds, then give it a rest. Thin pieces of trout will only need this quick basting to cook through, but thicker pieces of fish will need a second or even third round of basting. When you are done basting, salt the meat side. The skin side should lift off the pan easily after about 4 to 5 minutes of steady cooking. The moment you take the fish off the heat, salt the skin side.
To serve, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the sauce, one tablespoon at a time. Pour some sauce on everyone's plate. Top with the greens and then with a piece of fish. Serve at once.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 510 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 41 g
Fat: 32 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 151 mg
Sodium: 228 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Scott M Harris on 2023-11-08 (5 stars): Thank you Hank for this amazing recipe! I used some fresh-caught lingcod down here in San Diego. It really was quite simple and the presentation was amazing! I made it for me and my wife this time but can't wait to serve it to company.
Charles Bevins on 2022-08-16 (5 stars): Made this dish today. Delicious! I used red snapper ant it was perfect. Buttery, orange grassy deliciousness!
Misty Ciptak on 2018-10-03 (5 stars): I used this recipe with our recently caught Lake Trout from Lake Michigan and it was delicious! Our fish was pretty thick therefore it took a lot longer to cook.
Katie on 2017-07-21 (5 stars): Hank, this was so delicious! I've been following your site for quite some time now. Didn't have any edible flowers, so I used dragon fruit as a garnish. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!
Nico on 2014-03-12 (5 stars): I had some Passmore Ranch rainbow trout and made this yesterday for my wife and for me - I think this was one of the absolute best dishes to showcase the trout with contrasting and complementing flavors. Hank, you have quite the site here, and this is a great _go-to_ recipe for me. After searing the fish, I simply removed it from the pan, drained excess fat, added some butter and then the spinach, which cooked in about a minute. With the sauce ready to go, this could be a 15-minute weeknight meal.
Chzplz on 2013-05-31 (5 stars): Great recipe - very tasty and easy.