Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce – a stay-at-home dining experience!

We love salmon, we eat a lot of tilapia, but pan-fried trout is a favorite. Up to this point, we’ve eaten it in restaurants, the last time being several years ago in Colorado Springs at the Summit restaurant near Seven Falls. When we discovered fresh trout at an area grocery store, we grabbed up a package and I goggled recipes finding this gem at Julia's Album blog. Barry took over from there creating a absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked trout dinner complete with riced cauliflower and crunchy slaw with Mom's Celery Seed dressing. It was an elegant stay-at home dining experience for two (he cut the recipe in half)!

Trout with Garlic Lemon Butter  Sauce 4 servings

1.5 pounds trout or salmon, or arctic char - 2 large fish fillets with skin on the bottom

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (dried thyme, oregano, parsley, combined together)

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil more, if needed

4 garlic cloves diced

3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed preferred

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons butter softened

1. Season the top of fish fillets with Italian herb seasoning and salt (generously). Fish fillets will have skins on the bottom - no need to season the skins.
2. In a large skillet (large enough to fit 2 fish fillets), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat until heated but not smoking.  To the hot skillet with olive oil, add fish fillets skin side up - flesh side down. Cook the flesh side of the fish for about 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, making sure the oil does not smoke, until lightly browned.
3. Flip the fillets over to the other side, skin side down (add more oil, if needed). Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes on medium heat (to prevent oil from burning). 
4. Remove the skillet from heat, close with the lid, and let the fish sit for 5 to10 minutes, covered, in the skillet, until flaky and cooked through completely.
5. After the fish is cooked through, off heat, using spatula, carefully remove fillets to the plate, separating the fish from the skin. Carefully remove or scrape the fish skin off the bottom of the pan, making sure to leave all the cooking oils in the pan.
6. Add diced garlic, lemon juice, and white wine to the same pan with oil. Cook on medium-low heat for about 1 minute, until garlic softens a bit. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, off heat, to the sauce, stirring, until the butter melts and forms a creamy mixture.
7. Add fish to the pan, spoon sauce over the fish, top the fish and sauce, and serve.