Marita van der Vyfer’s favourite Trout Recipe

Trout with almond, from Marita van der Vyfer’s cookbook, ‘Summer Food in Provence’

“I once ordered this classic French dish in the renowned Le Procope in Paris, one of the oldest restaurants in the world and according to Frommer “the holy grail of Parisian cafes”. It was a favourite hangout of Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and a long list of other intellectuals down the centuries. Le Procope’s trout was too buttery for my taste and in other restaurants it was again too dry. Nowhere was it as delicious as the trout from our Herein River cooked in our own kitchen. Not an objective judgment, granted, but who can be objective about a passion like food?” - Marita van der Vyfer

Trout with almond (serves 4)
Courtesy 'Summer Food in Provence', by Marita can der Vyfer

4 medium-sized trout, cleaned and with heads and tails removed
200 ml milk
2 T flour 1 T oil
150 g butter 125 g almond flakes
2 T parsley, finely chopped 1 lemon,quartered
salt and pepper

Rinse the fish under cold running water and dry with paper towels. Take two shallow dishes, pour the milk into one and spread the flour in the other. Dip each fish first in the milk and then roll it in the flour, shaking carefully to remove any excess.

Heat the oil and 125 g of the butter in a large, heavy pan. Fry the fish gently for about 5 minutes on each side until cooked and golden brown – taking care that the butter does not catch. Arrange on a serving platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with foil and keep warm.

In another pan, heat the remaining butter until foaming. Add the almond flakes and fry for about 2 minutes over a medium heat until golden, stirring all the time. Scatter the fish with the almond flakes and pour over the butter from the pan. Serve at once, garnished with parsley and lemon quarters.

'Summer Food in Provence' by Marita van der Vyfer is available from most major book retailers in South Africa at a recommended price of R250.

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