COOK: Pan-Seared Trout with Tomato Pepper Relish & Yellow Rice
- Trout with Tomato, Pepper & Caper Relish Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment Needed
- How to Make Pan-seared Trout with Tomato, Pepper, & Caper Relish
- Storage & Prep Tips
- Pairing Ideas for Trout with Tomato Relish
- Pan-Seared Trout with Tomato Pepper Relish & Yellow Rice
This pan-seared trout with tomato relish is as fresh and fast as it gets! This is a quick recipe that you can throw together for a weeknight supper, but fancy enough to serve to guests.
The dish showcases the light flavor of the fish with crispy skin-on fillets or whole fish, accented with the brightness of the Mediterranean tomato-caper relish and the crunch of fresh sweet or hot peppers.
The trout cooks in a flash on the stove-top, or you can sear it and finish it in the oven if you are working with larger whole fish. The fresh tomato-caper relish is ready in just a few minutes, or can be made in advance. Start the rice, then prep the rest and you’ll be ready to eat in the time it takes the pot of rice to cook… a healthy home-cooked dinner in less than thirty minutes!
The simple tomato, pepper, and caper relish can be made mild to searingly spicy, depending on the peppers you choose to use, and captures the flavor and freshness of good garden ingredients. You can use hot-house tomatoes out of season, if you must, but may want to add some vinegar or citrus to add flavor (see recipe for suggestions).
Trout with Tomato, Pepper & Caper Relish Ingredients
Trout:
I used whole small-medium rainbow trout for this dish, but you can make it with other whole trout, or with cleaned trout fillets. If you use fillets, the fish will cook much faster, so reduce the cooking time.
You can also use this method and fresh salsa pairing with lake trout, salmon, and other similar textured mild-flavored fish.
For whole fish, you should be able to neatly remove the cooked fish from the bones before serving, or serve smaller whole fish for a more rustic presentation.
Butter or oil:
You’ll need a few tablespoons of butter to saute the trout until crispy. This helps form the sauce, and adds a richness to the dish. For a dairy-free variation, use coconut, peanut, or avocado oil to sear the fish. You can drizzle the relish with a bit of good-quality olive oil if you like.
Fresh tomato:
Use good quality, flavorful ripe tomatoes for this dish. I used a combination of firm red paste tomatoes (Roma or San Marzano type) and sweet yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered. Seed and dice large paste tomatoes, dice beefsteak-type slicers, and halve or quarter cherry tomatoes.
Banana peppers:
Use fresh sweet banana peppers for a milder dish, or hot wax peppers for a very spicy tomato relish. You can use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers for a very mild relish.
Wash the peppers, trim the stem end, and remove the seeds and white membrane before dicing the peppers into 1/4″-1/2″ cubes.
Capers:
Use either brined capers, or well-rinsed salt-packed capers. If you don’t have capers, you could substitute chopped green olives.
Seasonings:
This is a simple dish that lets the flavors of your ingredients shine, so the seasonings are very basic. A bit of salt & pepper, and chopped fresh garlic or garlic powder. Maybe a dash of sherry or wine vinegar in the relish if your tomatoes are bland, and some herbs. That’s it!
Fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, or Italian or Thai basil are nice here) or butter fried sage to garnish. I used fried sage, as that’s what I had in abundance in the garden at the time! You can fry the sage separately in butter, or add it to the pan with the fish while it’s cooking for simplicity. If you are using fresh garlic, add this to the pan after flipping the fish.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
cast iron or heavy pan:
I like to use a well-seasoned cast iron pan to cook fish, as the surface is naturally non-stick, and it retains heat well to get a nice crispy skin without overcooking the fish.
You could also use a carbon steel pan, or a stainless pan if you’re comfortable with the technique to saute in those without sticking. I would not use a non-stick pan, as you have to get the pan quite hot, making it more likely to off-gas or damage your pan.
chef’s knife & cutting board:
You’ll need a sharp knife and cutting board to chop the veggies for the relish. If you are filleting the fish before cooking, you may want a fillet knife or other thin, flexible very sharp knife.
fish spatula or other thin spatula:
I use a fish spatula for almost everything, but it’s purpose-made for this pan-seared trout dish. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools, the spatula I reach for before any other for most jobs! You can get silicone-coated ones for use in non-stick cookware, but we use only cast iron, carbon steel, and stainless pans, so a plain metal one works perfectly for us.
These thin, nimble metal spatulas are the perfect tool for gently flipping fish fillets, or lifting them intact from a poaching liquid. The angled edge and fine blade makes it perfect for flipping eggs, pancakes, and all sorts of frying things.
How to Make Pan-seared Trout with Tomato, Pepper, & Caper Relish
cook rice:
- Make a batch of yellow jasmine rice, or your chosen side dish.
- While the rice is cooking, prep the fish and salsa.
prep tomato pepper relish:
- Wash and dice the vegetables for the relish.
- Combine the tomatoes, peppers, and capers, and drizzle with a tablespoon of good olive oil.
- Season to taste with the salt and black pepper.
- If your tomatoes are bland, or if you want a brighter flavor, add a dash (no more than a tablespoon) of good wine or sherry vinegar, or rice vinegar for a lighter flavor.
clean & season fish:
- Clean and rinse the trout if they have not been cleaned. Pat dry and put on a clean plate or sheet pan.
- Season with a light sprinkle of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. If you have lemon or citrus salt, this is a nice dish to use it instead of regular salt to season the fish before cooking.
preheat pan & add butter:
- Heat a cast iron, steel, or other heavy pan over medium high heat.
- If you are cooking large whole trout or large fillets that you want to finish in the oven, preheat the oven now.
- Test the pan with a drop of cold water. When it dances and sizzles on the surface, add the butter or oil and swirl the pan to coat.
- Heat the oil until it shimmers (just a few seconds in a hot pan) or the butter is melted and bubbly but not brown.
cook the fish:
- Carefully lay the trout (skin side down if using fillets) in the hot pan.
- Sear the trout, skin side down, until it is crispy and the fish is mostly cooked through. If you are adding fresh garlic, add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the pan after the fish is beginning to brown so that you don’t burn the garlic.
- If you are cooking whole trout instead of fillets, you’ll need to carefully flip the trout over and sear the other side.
- If you are using fried fresh sage as a garnish, you can add this to the pan when you flip the fish so it doesn’t burn, or cook it separately and add when plating.
- If your whole trout are very large, you may want to finish them in a medium-hot oven (350-400F) for 5-10 minutes to cook through without burning. You can also use this technique to cook the tops of fillets without flipping them, checking regularly so that they do not burn or dry out.
- Fish is done when it is opaque and the flesh is flaky if tested with a fork. Don’t overcook your fish or it will be dry and tough!
plate & serve:
- Plate your fillets or serve small trout whole. Large whole trout can be filleted in the kitchen or at the table. The cooked meat should separate easily from the bones, though you may want to have a bone plate on the table for small stray bones.
- Plate or serve family style. To plate, start with a serving of yellow rice, then place the fish gently over the rice, skin-side up.
- Drizzle with the brown butter from the pan, if any remains.
- Spoon the tomato-caper salsa over the fish and rice, dividing among the portions (to serve family style, you can serve this on the side, or spoon it gently over the fish in the serving dish).
- Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and a drizzle of good olive oil, if you like.
Storage & Prep Tips
This crispy Mediterranean trout with tomato relish is best served hot and freshly seared. You can refrigerate any leftovers for three to four days, though they will lose that crispy skin that makes the freshly cooked trout especially delicious. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.
The tomato, pepper, and caper relish can be made up to a few days in advance, though the peppers will be less crisp, and the salt in the capers will draw moisture from the vegetables.
Pairing Ideas for Trout with Tomato Relish
Serve this light fish dish with or on a bed of freshly cooked yellow jasmine rice or rice pilaf, couscous, quinoa, kasha or wheat-berry pilaf, roasted potatoes or other vegetables, or a fresh green salad. It’s also nice served after a cold tomato or white gazpacho for a light summer meal!
Pair your pan-seared trout and tomato relish with a bright, acidic white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc, a Vinho Verde, or a Pinot Grigio. Or, serve with a cold, crisp lager or summery wheat beer, or a sessionable summer hazy IPA.
For a non-alcoholic pairing, serving your trout with a tall glass of seltzer with a spritz of lime or lemon is nice, cold cucumber-infused water or iced herbal tea.
Pan-Seared Trout with Tomato Pepper Relish & Yellow Rice
Equipment
- 1 cast iron pan recommended
Ingredients
- 1 batch yellow jasmine rice
Trout
- 2 large whole rainbow or other trout, cleaned substitution: 4 fillets for the whole trout
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper or to taste
- ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter or oil (see recipe post for recommendations)
Tomato Pepper Relish
- ¾ cup diced fresh tomatoes, seeded and cut in ½" dice
- ¼ cup banana or sweet peppers, seeded and cut in ¼" dice
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp wine or sherry vinegar (optional)
- to taste salt & cracked black pepper
Garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped fried fresh sage or minced fresh herbs see post for suggestions
- to taste Maldon flaky salt (optional)
Instructions
cook rice:
- Make a batch of yellow jasmine rice, or your chosen side dish.
- While the rice is cooking, prep the fish and salsa.
prep tomato pepper relish:
- Wash and dice the vegetables for the relish.
- Combine the tomatoes, peppers, and capers, and drizzle with a tablespoon of good olive oil.
- Season to taste with the salt and black pepper.
- If your tomatoes are bland, or if you want a brighter flavor, add a dash (no more than a tablespoon) of good wine or sherry vinegar, or rice vinegar for a lighter flavor.
clean and season trout:
- Clean and rinse the trout if they have not been cleaned. Pat dry and put on a clean plate or sheet pan.
- Season with a light sprinkle of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder. If you have lemon or citrus salt, this is a nice dish to use it instead of regular salt to season the fish before cooking.
preheat pan :
- Heat a cast iron, steel, or other heavy saute pan over medium high heat. If you are cooking large whole trout and want to finish cooking them in the oven, preheat that to 350-400℉.
- Test the pan with a drop of cold water. When it dances and sizzles on the surface, add the butter or oil and swirl the pan to coat.
- Heat the oil until it shimmers (just a few seconds in a hot pan) or the butter is melted and bubbly but not brown.
cook & flip trout:
- Carefully lay the trout (skin side down if using fillets) in the hot pan.
- Sear the trout, skin side down, until it is crispy and the fish is mostly cooked through.
- If you are cooking whole trout instead of fillets, you’ll need to carefully flip the trout over and sear the other side.
- If you are using fried fresh sage as a garnish, you can add this to the pan when you flip the fish so it doesn’t burn, or cook it separately and add when plating.
- If your whole trout are very large, you may want to finish them in a preheated medium-hot oven (350-400F) for 5-10 minutes to cook through without burning. You can also use this technique to cook the tops of fillets without flipping them, checking regularly so that they do not burn or dry out.
- Fish is done when it is opaque and the flesh is flaky if tested with a fork. Don’t overcook your fish or it will be dry and tough!
plate and serve:
- Plate your fillets or serve small trout whole. Large whole trout can be filleted in the kitchen or at the table. The cooked meat should separate easily from the bones, though you may want to have a bone plate on the table for small stray bones.
- Plate or serve family style. To plate, start with a serving of yellow rice, then place the fish gently over the rice. Drizzle with the brown butter from the pan, if any remains.
- Spoon the tomato-caper salsa over the fish and rice, dividing among the portions (to serve family style, you can serve this on the side, or spoon it gently over the fish in the serving dish).
- Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and a drizzle of good olive oil, if you like.