Trout On The Table – Part 5
CRAB-STUFFED TROUT
For a truly toothsome combination of flavors, one sure to impress even dyed-in-the-wool trout aficionados, give this a try. It works best with smaller trout (under 10 inches) of precisely the type likely to make up a typical day’s catch in a high elevation mountain stream.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional oil for coating trout
- 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
- 1 tablespoon finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup crab meat (about 5 or 6 ounces)
- ¼ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup crushed saltine crackers
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 or 6 small rainbow trout or 2 larger, farm-raised trout, cleaned and left whole
- Kosher salt and pepper
Prepare a grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion and celery for two minutes. Add the butter, crab meat, bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, lemon juice and seasonings and mix gently but thoroughly. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of each fish. Coat the fish all over with olive oil (a small kitchen brush helps but you can do this with paper towels) and place in a grilling basket. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the fish, turning occasionally with tongs, for about 10 minutes or until the fish are golden and flake easily. Makes two servings and the recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Trout On The Table – Part: 1, 2, 3, 4
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In company with his late wife, Ann, Jim Casada wrote a number of cookbooks focusing on game or foods from the wild. One of those, The Complete Venison Cookbook, is available from him or the Sporting Classics Store. Jim’s next book, Fishing for Chickens: A Smokies Food Memoir, is due out from the University of Georgia Press in mid-2022. He is currently taking advance reservations for copies. To reserve a copy or learn more about his many other books, include his recent multi-award winning A Smoky Mountain Boyhood: Memories, Musings, and More, visit his website at www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com or e-mail him at jimcasada@comporium.net.
