Meet my friend, Virginia Willis, former Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living Television, award-winning author of Bon Appetit, Y’all and this week celebrating the release of her brand new book, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all.
I first met Virginia a couple of years ago at an IACP conference in Portland and I asked her to speak at a Food Blog Forum event we held last year in her hometown, Atlanta. The moment you meet Virginia, you know you’ve made a friend for life. She has that effect on people – you can’t help but be pulled in by her Southern charm and generous spirit.
Virginia’s Southern roots are complemented by her French culinary training. Her recipes are just that – good ol’ homey Southern recipes with a touch of French elegance. Her new book, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all is all about that special little somethin’ to turn a basic recipe to “Brilliant.”
Who else would tell you to top your jambalaya with Cracklin’ Powder? Just run to the store, grab a bag of fried pig skin (Cracklin’s) and pulse them in your food processor. Sprinkle them on anything (I’ve done it to popcorn!!)
Today’s recipe, Pan-Seared Trout is from her book, and she turns this basic recipe to brilliant with a simple Pecan Brown Butter that’s drizzled over the fish.
Virginia asked me to write a little blurb for the cover of the book – this is what I wrote for the inside flap:
“As a busy mom, I truly appreciate Virginia’s Brilliant tips that accompany every recipe; many of them take only a few minutes more to transform ordinary family favorites to extraordinary, company-worthy centerpieces. From these tips, I’ve learned so many clever techniques, short recipes and presentation ideas!” ~Jaden
Pan-Seared Trout with Pecan Brown Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for the baking sheet
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1 cup plain or whole-wheat fresh or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on trout fillets
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
FOR THE PECAN BROWNED BUTTER:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with canola oil and place in the oven to warm.
- Combine the pecans, breadcrumbs, and parsley in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Season with salt and pepper. Press the flesh side of each fillet into the pecan mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 trout in the pan, crust side down, and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook until fish is opaque in the center and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the trout to the prepared baking sheet, crust side up. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Repeat the process with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining 
2 trout fillets. Transfer to warmed serving plates and serve immediately, garnished with the lemon.
BRILLIANT SHORT RECIPE: Pecan Brown Butter
- Basic panfried trout is elevated to Brilliant when dressed with Pecan Brown Butter. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels. Add 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter and melt over medium heat. Allow the butter to foam and turn medium brown, swirling the pan occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, add the finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, and 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley; season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the trout, crust side up, on warmed serving plates. Drizzle with the pecan butter. Serve immediately.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Can’t wait to try it
Doesn’t tell you how long to cook it in the ovenÂ
I have made this dish many times . a little different ingredients but it is a staple with my wife and I now that we are retired. We do this at least a couple of times a month. Very healthy and so tasty. We serve it with Quinou and sweet potatoes
Thank you Bill! I love that you pair it with quinoa and sweet potatoes….I think I might do that too!
Anything with butter is the best! I have a funny story to tell … my daughter’s violin teacher had no clue how to cook fish (had a date coming over) so I, in 10 minutes, got it cooking (similar) in butter and spices. I have yet to hear how her lunch turned out. (She’s Russian and adorable). Have a good day, Jayden!
If there is trout on the menu, I order it. This looks fantastic, kind of a dream dish for me. Thanks for sharing news about the cookbook.
Angela – my fish weakness is trout too!
I have heard nothing but fantastic things about Virginia’s book and this browned butter trout is just one more reason to buy a copy for myself.
oh you will LOVE her books.
An incredible recipe! Besides drooling at the picture I plan to try it tomorrow night! But just as this is a feast for the tastebuds I thought I should mention something else!It’s breast cancer awareness month! Stopping by with a reminder to do your self breast exam.
Here’s a fun place to start! Everybody loves boob lube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p8pIHy2GRI
That sounds really good, anything with freshly caught fish is soo much better 🙂
Droool. This looks amazing!!
Pan fried fish fillet always my favorite. I like the brilliant short recipe very much. It added good flavor to the fish fillets. Thank for sharing. 🙂
I haven’t had trout like this since my college days when I lived in a small town in Kansas. It was delicious then and I’m sure it’s still delicious. So simple to prepare but packed with flavor. I’ll have to make this.
Virginia has lots of great ideas, everyone should check out her blog.
Sounds wonderful! Glad to hear your son is doing better!!
Oh yum! I can not wait to try this! This weekend I went out fishing with my Dad and we got lucky and limited out on Trout! I am going to send this recipe to him as well, I know he is going to love it just as much. Such perfect timing!
This looks great! Been fishing all summer and have many dressed rainbow trout in the freezer, but they’re whole, ready for the barbecue. =) While I love barbecued trout, they’re getting boring, so this would be a terrific change! Can this somehow be adapted for whole trout, or will I have to split them in half? I’m not good at filleting; that’s my boyfriend’s job. So any advice on how to do it would be more than welcome. Thanks again, Jaden, for providing us with a wonderful recipe!
I love the idea of pecans on trout! Such a delish dish. I bet this would be great with lots of jasmine rice. Thanks for sharing, Jaden!
That sounds great! I’m sure that if one wanted to be a little bit more healthy they could switch out the canola oil for something else with a little bit higher boiling temp.
The photo had me drooling, so I am going to have to make this recipe soon! I may have to eliminate some other cookbooks so that I can add this one to my bookshelf!
How yummy does that look!?!
This looks like a lovely recipe!
This looks so delicious! It reminds me of a fabulous pecan-crusted fish that I had in a restaurant years ago and have always wanted to try to duplicate at home (and never have). I can’t wait to try this recipe! 🙂