Cornmeal Crusted Trout

Gone Fishin'

Before my husband, John, and I were married we traveled to Minneapolis where a documentary film that he had made was being screened. After the screening, we drove to a cabin on a lake that belonged to a favorite aunt and uncle of his where he had spent many an enjoyable summer day as a child, swimming and fishing. The lake was unspoiled and unpretentious, the cabin was cozy and without frills. Uncle Dick was a hard-working owner of a roofing business, and one of John’s favorite quotes from him is: “Let’s do this while we’re resting.” “This” might refer to anything from sweeping steps to installing a new handrail. Aunty Jeanne taught John how to prepare fish using this recipe.

John and I have similar recollections of the visit up until after supper on the first night. That is when my husband claims that I said, “Let’s borrow your uncle’s boat and go fishing.” We did not have fishing licenses, having arrived too late in the day to have purchased them, although, in all honesty, that part may not have crossed my mind. It’s just that going fishing would not have been high on my list of activities. In any event, we headed out in an “aluminum craft motor boat” using “cane poles baited with worms”. These details are in quotes since that is how they appear on a citation, for fishing without a license, that the game warden issued to each of us not long after pushing off from the dock. The ticket has been tucked away in a drawer for all these years. The game warden had a credit card reading device in his boat and told us that the $109.00 fine would be used by the local school system to purchase textbooks. I don’t think that made me feel any better.

The next morning John purchased a license for himself and fished while I probably read a book or visited with his aunt. He caught crappies and sunfish that we enjoyed that evening. Pictured below are sunfish that he caught at a pond just on the outskirts of our town. As you can see, they are very small, requiring several to make a meal. He prepared them using this simple, yet tasty recipe. We generally rely on the trout that we pick up at the grocery store.

Ingredients

2 trout fillets, about one pound

1 egg

1/3 c. cornmeal

1/3 c. flour

salt and pepper

corn oil

Directions

Pat the filets dry with a paper towel. Place three dinner plates on the countertop. Pour flour, salt and pepper on the first plate. Crack the egg on the second plate and scramble with a fork. Pour the cornmeal on the third plate. Dip the filets in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip the filets in the egg, and then in the cornmeal. Add cornmeal to the plate if your filets are not well coated. Heat 1/4 inch corn oil in a large fry pan and heat until the oil sizzles when a drop of water is added. Cook on both sides until golden in color, about three to four minutes per side.

Two servings.

Thanks for reading!

Vicki