It's a-trout time

November 19, 2024 9:49 PM

I've come into possession of quite a lot of tinned, smoked, skinless, boneless trout fillets. Now what do I do with them?

Intriguingly, I won a contest that rewarded me with six tins of smoked trout fillets in water, and six tins of trout fillets in oil with chili. Quite a nice prize, but I truly don't know what kinds of foods to prepare with this fish. I genuinely think I may not even have eaten trout before!

Any recipe suggestions? I'm open to anything; no dietary restrictions.

Thank you!

posted by Dr. Wu to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

With cream cheese on a bagel.

On kedgeree (Anglo-Indian, except my recipe always has lentils).

In an omelette.
posted by away for regrooving at 10:17 PM on November 19, 2024 [1 favorite]

On hot buttered toast
In pasta with some cream cheese and lemon and maybe capers
From the tin over the sink with a fork at midnight
Mashed up in a sandwich with cucumber
posted by quacks like a duck at 10:36 PM on November 19, 2024 [4 favorites]

The bougie brunch place near me does an absolutely excellent smoked trout crostini thing. It’s got pickled red onions, pickled asparagus, avocado, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and a citrus vinaigrette. And you can asked for a poached egg too, then the egg yolk adds to the dressing in a really nice way. If I were to make this at home I’d probably do a salad base and keep the toasts on the side, with a nice seeded multigrain instead of the baguette slices they use. Everything can be gotten out of season except the tomatoes, so I’d sub the best cherry tomatoes I could find and maybe swap the avocado out for something else creamy like fresh mozzarella if I wasn’t confident in finding a good one.

For the spicy trout I think it would be great on pasta. Flake it into a pan with some garlic and use the oil from the tin, and do some white wine and butter to make a pan sauce. Toss with your pasta and top with snipped chives and dill. You could do a low carb thing by roasting big chunks of cauliflower and then pouring that same sauce atop the vegetable and roasting for another fifteen minutes or so, the flavor will get into all the crevices and the oil will help brown it.

Smoked trout is awesome. It’s good just on its own in my opinion, and plays especially well with citrus and vinegars. Go-to herbs would be dill, parsley, and anything from the allium family (onion, garlic, chives, leeks, scallions, etc). It is great with eggs, a smoked fish scramble is classic with a little sour cream and paprika. Any base carb works wonderfully, try it on tortillas with pickled onions and cabbage, flaked over hot rice with furikake and steamed vegetables, or mixed up like a deli salad on sliced rye with brown mustard.
posted by Mizu at 11:01 PM on November 19, 2024 [7 favorites]

+1 over the sink with a fork at midnight, forgot that one, also my next sockpuppet name.
posted by away for regrooving at 11:26 PM on November 19, 2024 [17 favorites]

I recently made a dish with canned smoked trout consisting of sautéed beet greens and added crumbled feta, toasted pumpkin seeds and smoked trout after cooking. It was amazing, no starch needed.
posted by waving at 1:34 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]

It would go well with rice: for instance, flaked and stirred through egg fried rice, or as the filling to onigiri, or as a donburi (i.e. on a bowl of Japanese rice) with a spoonful of red ginger (beni shoga), and curly kale stir-fried with garlic and soy sauce. Add the trout at the last minute so that it's warmed through but not really cooked.

Or you could pot it! Drain a can of the chilli one (NB I'm assuming the cans are about 100g / 4oz of fish). Put a couple of ounces of butter and a generous pinch of nutmeg in a small saucepan, along with a blade or two of mace if you've got any. Stir it on a low heat till the butter's melted, then flake in the trout and stir it through. Keep it on the heat for a minute or two; you want the contents of the pan to feel warm if you bring the back of your hand close, but you don't want it to boil. You're just looking to get the flavours to infuse, not trying to cook anything. Extract the mace, and tip everything else into a ramekin or two. Let it cool for a bit, then put it in the fridge to set. Eat it spread generously on hot toast, with a sprinkle of lemon juice.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:48 AM on November 20, 2024

For a quick meal that dirties very few kitchen items:

Grab whatever frozen vegetables suit you, like green/string beans, and some instant mashed potatoes.

Boil some water.

Pour the veg into a bowl. Open the tin of trout and put all of it (including the liquid) in the bowl.

Pour some boiling water into the bowl, then the potato flakes.

Stir, breaking up the fish, and season to taste - salt probably, and maybe some sesame oil or lemon pepper.
posted by brainwane at 2:52 AM on November 20, 2024

Smoked trout dip! Every Gulf Coast seafood restaurant and fish market has a version of smoked fish dip, often trout. Mayo, cream cheese, lemon juice, green onion, hot sauce, Tony's or other cajun seasoning, maybe a little horseradish, really whatever seasonings feel right to you. Finely chop the fish, it should be pretty smooth when mixed but I don't think it's worth dirtying the food processor for. Serve with saltines. Perfect if you have a holiday party coming up!
posted by CheeseLouise at 4:16 AM on November 20, 2024 [6 favorites]

Lightly mashed (with olive oil, black pepper, lemon juice + zest and chopped parsley) and served over pasta
posted by scruss at 4:59 AM on November 20, 2024

Anything you'd do with canned salmon. Apart from all of the above, smoked trout butter is addictive. I don't make it often, because I'll end up eating it all in one go. But as a dip on a table of mixed appetizers or in finger sandwiches/tramezzini it is great for guests at all hours. Very easy to make and can be made ahead.
posted by mumimor at 5:10 AM on November 20, 2024

Any smoked tinned fish I like on crackers with cream cheese.
posted by coffeecat at 7:27 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]

One of my favorite weekend breakfast/brunch dishes is hashbrowns or roasted potatoes with smoked trout, greens, and a poached egg, topped off with a little green salsa.
posted by zombiedance at 9:01 AM on November 20, 2024 [2 favorites]

On crackers with brie or thin slices of hard cheese such as Manchego, Asiago, Romano, or Parmesan. And a small drop of your favorite hot sauce.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:27 AM on November 20, 2024

We make this Smoked Fish and Rice breakfast bowl for dinner pretty regularly using smoked mackerel. I'm certain smoked trout would be just as delicious.
posted by burntflowers at 9:46 AM on November 20, 2024

I use these for picnics and camping, where the value of having a ready-to-go meal by adding bread or crackers or maybe cheese is much higher than normal.

Also maybe leave a can in your car for emergency usage (emergency can be stuck in the snow or are at work and forgot to pack lunch).
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:06 AM on November 20, 2024

Good with some onion in a scramble. I do this with the Trader Joe's tins.
posted by less-of-course at 10:57 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you, everyone! Some fun recipes to try here. I appreciate it!
posted by Dr. Wu at 11:55 AM on November 20, 2024 [1 favorite]

Smoked trout sandwich! Baguette, butter, arugula and green apple, maybe a little mustard, and of course smoked trout. The green apple makes it juicy, the smoked trout and little bit of oil make it rich, and the arugula and mustard and a little bite.
posted by lorimt at 12:22 PM on November 20, 2024

On toast, with a generous scrape of sour cream and some hot sauce.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:15 PM on November 20, 2024

Smoked trout deviled eggs, yo.
posted by slkinsey at 8:53 PM on November 20, 2024

Smoked trout on a large bed of arugula (and nothing else, save a slight drizzle of the oil from the tin) is my lunch almost every day.
posted by Westringia F. at 3:03 PM on November 22, 2024