Trout taps into maple’s natural sweetness
Sweeten a little butter with maple syrup and fresh sage and use it as a topping for freshly fried trout in this recipe.
The fish gets a gentle bonus of taste from this treatment, says Robb Turner in his new book about maple farming, The Crown Maple Guide to Maple Syrup: How to Tap and Cook With Nature’s Original Sweetener (Abrams/Canadian Manda Group, $35.95).
Turner, an Illinois farm boy with a Harvard MBA who makes Crown brand syrup in New York’s Hudson Valley, co-authored the book with Washington, D.C. writer Jessica Carbone.
CORNMEAL-FRIED TROUT
Serves: 4 16 fresh sage leaves 5 tbsp (75 mL) unsalted butter, softened 4 tsp (20 mL) dark maple syrup 3/4 cup (180 mL) yellow or white cornmeal 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) baking powder 1 tsp (5 mL) kosher or coarse salt Freshly ground pepper 1 large egg white 4 trout fillets, 6 to 8 oz each (170 to 225 g) 6 slices bacon, thick-cut preferred 1. Finely chop 8 of the sage leaves. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter with the chopped sage and the maple syrup. Set aside.
2. Combine the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper on a plate. On a second plate, whisk the egg white with 2 tsp (10 mL) water. Pat the trout dry, then dip both sides of each fillet in the egg white mixture, letting the excess drip off. Then coat both sides with the cornmeal mixture. Set fillets aside on wax paper.
3. In a large cast-iron frying pan, cook bacon over high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Set bacon to drain on paper towels, then crumble into small pieces. Pour off all but 2 tbsp (30 mL) bacon fat.
4. Lower heat to medium and add 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter to the pan. When sizzling hot, fry fish fillets 1 or 2 at a time for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until crisp and lightly browned on the edges. Transfer fish to a heated platter and spread with some of the maple-sage butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Keep platter warm, covered with aluminum foil, while you cook the remaining fillets.
5. Add more bacon fat and the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter to the pan and fry the remaining 8 whole sage leaves until crisp, about 1 minute.
6. Serve fish topped with the fried sage leaves and crumbled bacon.