Lemon Butter Trout with Almond Rice
Trout fillets roast on a tray with lemon and butter until the edges caramelize, while toasted almonds and lemon zest fluff up the rice underneath. A high-protein dinner with real browning, not just steaming.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 30 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Absorption rice · Roasting
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse 150 g riz under cold water until it runs clear, then drain. Put it in a small saucepan with 300 ml water and 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender.
~15 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains stay separate instead of turning gluey.
Absorption rice Use a tight lid and low simmer; don't stir. The rice is done when water is absorbed and grains are tender but not mushy.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice simmers, toast 40 g amandes in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking often, until golden and fragrant. Tip them onto a board to cool, then chop roughly.
~5 min
Dry toasting deepens the almonds' flavor through browning; shaking prevents scorching.
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Pat the 2 filets de truite dry with paper towel and set them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Season both sides with the remaining 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper.
~6 min
Drying the fish ensures the skin browns rather than steaming in its own moisture.
-
Zest the citron into a small bowl, then cut it in half. Cut 30 g butter into small pieces and dot them over the trout. Squeeze the juice of half the citron over the fillets and scatter half the zest on top.
~4 min
Zesting before cutting preserves the aromatic oils; dotting butter bastes the fish as it roasts.
-
Roast the trout on the upper rack for 10 to 12 minutes, until the butter and lemon juices bubble and darken at the edges and the fish flakes easily and reaches 63°C at the thickest point.
~12 min
Roasting at high heat browns the butter and lemon, building flavor; 63°C ensures safe, moist fish.
Roasting Roast on the upper rack at high heat so the butter and lemon caramelize; pull when the fish reaches 63°C to avoid dryness.
-
Fluff the rice with a fork and fold in the toasted amandes, the remaining lemon zest, and the juice of the second lemon half. Rest the trout for 3 minutes, then serve it over the rice with the pan juices spooned on top.
~3 min
Resting lets juices redistribute so they don't run out and dry the fish.