Looking for the rest of the Superabundant newsletter?

Subscribe now to get original recipes, PNW food news, and ideas for the kitchen and garden!

It’s almost time to put our grills and camping gear away for the year, and that’s why, in these fleeting warm days, it’s important to relish opportunities to cook outdoors.

I always associate trout with outdoor cooking. They were the first fish my brother and I ever caught, all five or six inches of slippery silver hauled out of the waters of the rainbow trout farm near Bonneville. The fact that we were literally guaranteed to land the fish did nothing to diminish our pride at having provided our dinner’s main course, which our grandpa showed us how to clean and cook in a cast-iron skillet set over a tiny fire. (Of course, actually eating the fish was more a matter of picking tiny morsels from all the spindly bones. Thankfully, there were also hot dogs.)

Whether or not we harvest them ourselves, the rainbow trout most of us eat today still largely come from farms in the Northwest — some of the most sustainable farmed fisheries around. I love trout for how quickly they cook, but they’re also a super versatile fish, being as suited to a dredge in cornmeal as they are to a delicate butter sauce à la meunière.

This recipe makes use of the green tomatoes that may be piling up on your kitchen counters, which happen to make a bright little salsa. (Of course, you can leave them to continue ripening, since the plant begins sealing off the stem to cut off resources once the fruit has gotten as big as it can.)

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 small/pan-sized rainbow trout, cleaned (it’s fine to leave the heads and fins on)

Salt & pepper

1 large garlic clove, finely grated

Lemon zest

½ cup milk

¾ cup finely ground cornmeal

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika (smoked, hot or sweet is fine)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Oil or bacon fat for frying

Green tomato pico de gallo

1 fist-sized underripe tomato, finely diced

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt & pepper

⅓ cup minced sweet onion

1 smallish green chile (serrano, jalapeño, etc.), minced

¼ cup minced cilantro or parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Dab the trout dry with a paper towel and season it liberally inside and out with salt and pepper. Then, gently rub the garlic and lemon zest into the inside of the fish. Lay the fish in a shallow pan and pour the milk over, making sure the trout is evenly covered. Soak for 10 minutes.
2. While the trout is soaking in the milk, combine the cornmeal and flour in another rimmed tray and whisk in the paprika and oregano along with another generous pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Remove the trout from the milk, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in the cornmeal mixture, ensuring that both sides are evenly coated.
4. Heat the oil or bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat (or slightly off to the side of the fire, if cooking outdoors). Carefully slide the fish into hot oil (working in batches as necessary, depending on the size of your pan) and cook until the coating is crispy and golden brown and the fish begins to curl at the edges, about 5 minutes on each side.
5. Prepare the pico de gallo: Sprinkle the diced green tomato with the sugar and a few pinches of salt and let it sit for a few minutes to draw out any bitter juices. Drain, add the onion, chile and cilantro, then stir in the lemon juice and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve the fried fish with the pico de gallo.

Don’t forget to subscribe!

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/26/recipe-superabundant-rainbow-trout-green-tomato-pico/