Rainbow trout fillet ideas?

[BreezyCooking]

Uh, guys - the OP was looking for trout FILET help. While I too have many recipes for whole trout, does anyone have any ideas that really address the original question?

I too frequently have access to really nice fresh boneless trout filets & would be interested in recipes for them other than my usual way of fixing them.

[Jeekinz]

For mine, since the fish is so small, you could just cook it skin side down in a skillet and lay the lemon on top. Baste with some of the butter and serve.

[AllenOK]

For the OP:

I can only think of two ways to prepare trout fillets like that.

#1 Dust with flour, and pan-fry.
#2 Season with seasonings of choice. Preheat a cast iron skillet AND your broiler. Add a little fat to the skillet, and lay the fillet, skin-side down, into the pan. Immediately place the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes or so, until the fish is cooked.

Either way it's prepared, you can't go wrong with a compound butter made with some minced shallots, minced garlic, lemon juice and/or zest, and some dill. Place some of the butter on top of the fish after it's cooked.

At work, I make a great sauteed zucchini side dish. I start by preheating the saute pan. While that heats, I slice a zucc' in half, then cut into pieces, on a bias. Then, I add some clarified butter to the saute pan, along with some julienned shallots and minced garlic. Toss in the zucc's, and some salt and pepper. Shake and toss the pan for a couple minutes, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant and just starts to caramelize. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine, and set aside (I actually put the whole pan under a heat lamp to finish cooking gently). A little minced fresh thyme and/or rosemary really adds a special touch to this.

For the folks with whole, boneless, butterflied trout:

Make a stuffing of some sort. Shrimp, crab, lobster, or a mixture. Once the stuffing is cool enough to handle, layer some of the mixture onto ONE HALF on the trout. Preheat both the broiler, and an oven-proof pan (cast iron is great). Dredge the trout in seasoned flour, skin side only (a pie pan works great). Add some oil to the skillet, and place the trout, skin-side down, in the pan. Cook for a few minutes, until it begins to brown. CAREFULLY use a spatula to fold the bare half over the stuffing, along the spine. You might want to hold it together with a toothpick. Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the stuffing reaches 180 degrees F.

If you really want to ramp it, make some kind of cream-based sauce with some shellfish in it, and plate the dish by ladling some of the sauce onto the plate, laying the trout on top of the sauce, then drizzle just a bit of sauce over the fish.