#126 Trout en Papillote

 

We have two well-stocked, uber clean, private community lakes  for  recreation and so that  property owners and their guests can fish and eat fresh catch at 5,800 ft above sea level. It's like having a lake in the clouds filled with big fishes. Because nobody ever go fishing in the smaller lake, I assume I could sit there everyday and catch fish (If I ever will) to my heart's content. And so my fishing obsession began. Van's fishing in the mountains project, that's what I called it. Lots of free fishes to catch for our nourishment.. and for the people we love. LOL. We wished for a fishing pole for a long time, I imagined I would be able to fill the freezer with fishes, but once we finally owned one, we had no luck. I was so bad at it. LOL. It was tangled during the first day, so tangled that I had to cut it, and then also on that day, one of the cute  wild ducks got itself caught in the fishing line too, and again we had to cut it, luckily it swam out of it..what bad fishing luck we had on that day! I really wanted to catch a trout, or any fish to cook! Before we owned a fishing pole, we overheard a man who was catching fish like crazy that marshmallows are good bait. So we bought a huge bag, packed our new fishing pole, picked the spot where that man caught many fishes, and waited, I sat for a few hours, waiting for that hard tug, soon we ate most of the marshmallows, and the ones we put on the hook disappeared in minutes. No fish. We thought, better luck next time, we'll come back and fish again. Two weeks later, the fishing pole remained untouched. I almost gave up this whole "Van's fishing in the mountains project"..but then one night, we were invited to dinner, and then I learned that the Mckays (our hosts) always fish and always catch huge ones: trout, catfish, etc.  I shared our frustration, including the marshmallow bait idea, but I didn't tell them that 90% of which  ended up in our stomachs. The night went on, we played with their 3 chihuahuas, a very good dinner was served, then they told me they'll teach us how to fish..they mentioned power bait, hook, how to do this, and that...I was imagining my first catch as they were talking to me. I said I'll pay them a visit when they're fishing, they are lucky to  live across the street from the big lake. Before we went home, Sheryl gave me not one, but 3 of the big trouts that they caught. That was a really sweet gesture, and I was so thrilled to bring home the big fishes. The next day, I found myself staring at this huge trout for a long time and  had no idea know how to cook it besides grilling, which was out of the question on a very windy day. A quick search led me to a French dish called  Trout en Papillote. It had the word "trout" so I assumed it was referring to the same fish  resting on the sink, waiting to be cooked. I was excited when I found out that it simply meant, cook the trout deliciously in a foil pouch! :) I was very glad to find it, because it was an amazing way to cook fish. En papillote, means in parchment,  is a French method of cooking by placing uncooked fish, vegetables or meats inside an aluminum foil or parchment paper pouch, carefully sealed by folding and then baked, sealing it airtight will allow the  steam to cook the food. In France, they usually serve it with the fish still en papillote, and let the guests open each pouch. Great, great dish. Love the flavors of the fresh herbs and the fresh trout! Thanks to John & Sheryl Mckay.

TROUT EN PAPILLOTE

Ingredients:
 
fresh trout
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
salt
thin slices of butter
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh dill
white wine

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees. Butter a large piece of foil; set aside.
2. Clean trout, place in a shallow baking dish. Boil vinegar, pour over trout. Let stand, uncovered for 10 minutes.
3. Drain fish. Lightly salt inside of the fish , place trout on top of butter slices in prepared foil sheets. Stuff trout with parsley and dill. Sprinkle with white wine.
4. Fold foil around each fish, making it airtight.  Bake trout for 15-20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with boiled potatoes, lemon slices and horseradish cream.

I always remove scales before cooking fish, except when grilling.

Before

&

After

 

 This delicious dish makes me want to learn how to properly fish..

I will, soon. Fresh catch tastes the best!