A Fanfare for Fishes

All fishes help your heart and your brain function. Some yield a sizeable amount of essential Omega-3 fats. To my surprise, I’ve found out that trout gives you even more Omega 3 fat, protein, and selenium than salmon with about the same calorie count. Note: Fresh fish do not have sunken eyes. Flat-eyed fish will do if eaten within hours of purchase. Our Chinese relatives only buy fish that are still flopping.
 
Here’s how salmon and trout compare nutritionally. All numbers are based on 3-ounce servings.
 
Sockeye Salmon: 144 calories, 6 grams fat, 21 grams protein, 840 milligrams Omega 3 fats, 4.8 micrograms B12, 447 IU Vitamin D, and 331 micrograms selenium.
 
Rainbow Trout: 143 calories, 6 grams fat, 20 grams protein, 905 grams omega 3 fats, 4.5 mcg B12, 645 IU Vitamin D, and 24 mcg selenium.
 
Besides, trout costs considerably less per pound than salmon. Note, too, the generous dose of Vitamin D you get in a mere three-ounce serving. This means a lot to your wintertime health.
 
An easy cooking method is to bake it in a 350-degree oven. In a glass or ceramic baking dish long enough to hold a ½-lb. trout, melt a pat of butter. Tilt the dish so there will be melted butter beneath each whole trout. Slip fish in into the dish, turn fish over, and tuck a green onion and a parsley sprig into the tummy of each. Salt and pepper are optional. Bake about 7 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. You want the meat to be opaque. A half-pound trout serves one hungry person or two with smaller appetites.
 
For a more elegant dish with very little more effort, give your trout a garnish of butter-toasted sliced almonds. Preparation takes only 5 minutes. You cook the fish no more than 10 minutes per 1-inch thickness. A skillet on the stove top, over medium heat, works fine.
 
TROUT ALMONDINE
Serves 2 to 4
4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), divided
¼ to ½ cup sliced almonds
2 (1/2 lb. each) trout
Salt to taste
Minced parsley or cilantro
Lemon juice, optional
 
In a 12-inch skillet, on medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Add almonds. Stir-cook until slices are golden. Pour with the butter into a cup or small bowl. Reserve.
 
Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the fish. When brown on one side, about 5 minutes, turn and brown the other side. Cook up to 5 minutes more for 1-inch thick fish. Sprinkle with salt. Garnish with minced parsley. Serve from the skillet with a small plate of lemon wedges on the side if desired, but fresh trout is so good it doesn’t really need lemon.