Classic Trout Almondine (Amandine)

Trout Almondine (amandine) is a classic French dish, made with beurre noisette and almonds. I use whole Rainbow Trout in this recipe. The result is juicy pink flesh, crunchy toasted almonds, and a decadent easy to master French sauce of browned butter and lemon.

Firstly please don't be put off by the thought of using whole fish. Just like my Thai Style deep fried whole fish I give you instructions on making this dish with fish fillets. I do implore however that you give this trout almondine recipe a go using whole fish.

A simple dish, that's incredibly tasty and I feel, rather impressive. There are two key components of this dish. Most obviously the fish. In this case I've used whole rainbow trout which is relatively inexpensive in Australia. Though the recipe is perfect for other fish and I give alternative fish suggestions below.

The second key component is the sauce. A simple sauce of beurre noisette (browned butter) with the addition of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then we add flaked almonds that are toasted to an inch of their life in the deeply nutty browned butter. Often this recipe is made with a meunière sauce which has the addition of parsley.

Blushing pink juicy fish and a deep nutty butter sauce are a tasty combination. Plus as a bonus, any leftover trout is scrumptious served cold as a sandwich filling the next day. Enjoy, or should I say bon appétit!

Sara xxx

What's in this post

• Ingredients
• Alternative Fish Suggestions
• Pefect sides for Trout Almondine
• Recipe Instructions
• Sara's Top Recipe Tips
• Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1. Rainbow Trout: Choose fish with firm flesh and bright eyes. Ask your fishmonger to remove the sclaes and clean them for you. See my alternative fish suggestions below.
2. Ground Black Pepper: Finely ground versus freshly ground from the pepper mill. Of course the later is perfectly fine it that is what you have on hand.
3. Butter: The best quality you are able to get and unsalted.
4. Flour: General plain/all purpose flour.
5. Salt: Kosher or sea salt flakes, used for seasoning along with the pepper.
6. Almonds: Natural almonds, still with their skins on. If you can find natural almond flakes (picutured above), these are perfect. Otherwise buy whole natural almonds and finely chop them.
7. Lemon Juice (not pictured): A squeeze of lemon juice is added to the brown butter to lift it and add citrus balance to the sauce.

Alternative Fish Suggestions

Although this is the perfect recipe to use whole fish. In this case I have used rather economical Rainbow Trout, which I also use in my BBQ Rainbow Trout wrapped in Proscuitto Recipe. Trout almondine is even easier to make with trout fillets.

I would suggest avoiding small fish fillets such as whiting, or fish with a strong taste like sardines, mackerel, or herring. Below are my suggestions for alternative whole fish and fish fillets that would work extremely well in this recipe.

Pefect sides for Trout Almondine

Recipe Instructions

Scroll to the bottom of the page for a printable version of this recipe.

In a large shallow dish place flour, and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the Rainbow trout in the dish and dust lightly with the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour and place trout on a plate.

Place a large frying pan over medium heat.Depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook one fish at a time. Place 50 grams (1.8 oz) of butter in the frying pan. Once it has melted and started to foam add the trout.

Cook for 5 minutes until the trout has browned and just cooked through. Turn the fish over in the pan and repeat on the other side.

Once the trout has been cooked remove it from the pan and place it on a serving plate. Cover with foil and keep warm.

Place a separate medium size frying pan over medium heat. Place the remaining 85 grams (3 oz) of butter in the pan.

Once the butter has melted and is foaming add the almonds. Cook the almonds, stirring and flipping them with a spatula, for around 5 minutes until the almonds are golden and butter is browned. Add lemon juice to the butter almond sauce and stir well. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Spoon almonds and butter sauce over the top of the trout. Serve immediately.

Sara's Top Recipe Tips

Beurre Noisette/Browned Butter: For perfect browned butter you want the butter to melt evenly. Use cubes of chilled butter to achieve this. You want dark golden brown butter for the optimum nutty flavour. Yes, it is a fine line between dark golden and burnt. Don't walk away from the butter while you are browning it.

Dusting Flour: Ensure the flour is very well seasoned with salt and pepper. With only a handful of ingredients, every one adds flavour.

Don't Overcook the Fish: Yes, I know, this is an obvious tip, but so easy to do. Keep in mind that while you make the almondine sauce the fish will continue to cook as it rests. It will be coated in the sizzling almond butter on its way to the table, again adding more heat and cooking.

Printable Recipe