Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 4 slices bacon, ideally thick cut
  • 1 medium onion, sliced root to tip
  • 4 small trout, whole or beheaded ((guts and gills removed))
  • Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal or flour
  • 1/2 pound morel mushrooms
  • 1/2 pound shiitake or other mushrooms
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
  • Juice of a lemon

Instruction

  • In a large frying pan, ideally cast iron, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crispy. Remove and cut into batons and set aside. Turn the oven to "warm" and set a wire rack over a baking sheet inside; this is to keep the trout warm. 
  • While the bacon is cooking, salt the trout inside and out. When the bacon is done, coat the fish in fine cornmeal. Turn the heat in the pan to medium-high. When it's good and hot, fry the trout in batches until they are crispy and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. You will likely need to lower the heat on the fish at some point -- the key is to listen: The frying trout should sound just like the bacon. A happy sizzle. When they're done, carefully move the trout to the rack in the oven. I do this with two spatulas. 
  • Put the onions in the frying pan and saute for a few minutes, until they soften and begin to brown a little. Add the mushrooms and toss to combine. Saute until they begin to give up their water, about 3 minutes, and then jack the heat up to high. Let everything sit for a minute to get a bit of a crust, then toss to combine. 
  • Add the peas, the bacon batons, parsley and thyme and toss to combine. Cook just until the peas are warm, about a minute. Serve all this as a bed for the trout and squeeze some lemon over everything right as you serve.