Firda salmon trout has a flesh rich enough to stand up to high heat and bold flavours without losing itself. Pan-searing is the technique that shows it off best: the skin renders to a crisp, deep mahogany; the fat below the skin bastes the flesh as it cooks; and the result is a fillet that is simultaneously crunchy on the outside and buttery through the centre. A quick brown butter and caper pan sauce — made in the same pan in the final minutes — is all this dish needs.
This is a weeknight dinner for adults and children over three who eat with the family. For younger children, the sauce is too salty and the capers too sharp; their portion of the fish should be set aside before the butter goes in. Salmon trout is rich in DHA and EPA — a single fillet provides a meaningful share of the week's omega-3 needs — and the cooking method here preserves those fats rather than boiling them out.
Ingredients (serves 2 adults)
- 2 salmon trout fillets, skin on, approximately 160g each, pin bones removed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil with a high smoke point
- 40g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1.5 tablespoons capers, drained
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Remove the fillets from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking and pat completely dry with kitchen paper. Moisture on the surface prevents crisping. Season the flesh side only with salt and pepper.
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet or stainless steel pan over high heat until the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke.
- Place the fillets skin-side down in the pan. Press each fillet gently but firmly with a fish spatula for the first 30 seconds to prevent the skin from curling away from the pan. Release the pressure and cook undisturbed.
- Cook skin-side down for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and the flesh has turned opaque two-thirds of the way up the fillet.
- Flip the fillets. Cook flesh-side down for 1 to 2 minutes only. Salmon trout is best served slightly rosy in the centre. Remove to a warm plate, skin-side up, and rest for 2 minutes.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Add the cold butter cubes and swirl the pan. The butter will foam, then the foam will subside as the milk solids toast to a golden brown and a nutty aroma develops. This takes about 90 seconds.
- Add the capers to the brown butter. They will sputter. Add the lemon juice and swirl to combine. Add the parsley.
- Pour the sauce over the resting fillets and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Serving and Storage Notes
This dish does not store well — crisp skin loses its texture within minutes and brown butter sauces are best made fresh. If cooking for children at the same table, remove one fillet to a separate plate before making the sauce and serve it plain with a wedge of lemon and steamed rice. For toddlers 12 to 30 months, flake the unsauced fillet over congee or stir into soft-cooked pasta.
Norwegian fjord trout works equally well in this preparation. Black cod (gindara) is another excellent candidate, though its higher fat content means the skin crisps slightly differently — allow an extra minute skin-side down and watch the heat carefully to avoid burning.