Another in the Lenten Season Series
A classic New Orleans dish made famous years ago and still served today at many fine Louisiana Cajun, Creole, and French cuisine establishments. The image displayed here shows the plating up of a Trout Pontchartrain portion, at The Columns Hotel, Circa 1985. Notice I am holding the plate with a white kitchen towel, one of the basics that we learn early but is often missed in many a restaurant: serve hot food hot, and on hot plates, serve cold food cold, and on cold plates. Amazingly simple to follow, yet often missed.
This classic dish has also seen a revitalization lately among restaurants both in and outside of Louisiana, and variations include additional ingredients in the topping such as shrimp and crawfish tails. In addition, some are now adding a thicker batter to the fish with eggs and breading, such as with panko breadcrumbs for a crunchier texture.
While trout is in the name of this dish, any white fleshed fish will work in this recipe. In addition, while button mushrooms are the traditional fare, you might consider adding in or substituting any variety of wild mushrooms for variation of flavor and texture. Chanterelles, morels, porcini, or oyster mushrooms are all quite good with seafood.
This version is adapted from the classic, and is also the version served at the Columns Hotel on St. Charles Avenue in the mid-1980’s during the Chef Chris Canan and Chef Brian Coates era. It takes the basic lightly floured and sautéed trout filet and then is topped with sautéed crabmeat and usually is covered with a hollandaise or béarnaise sauce depending on the restaurant. The Columns Hotel version was topped with a lighter Beurre Blanc sauce. Click the link to see two versions of this white butter sauce recipe, one from the Columns Hotel, and the other from the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
The original recipe given here lists a single portion as was prepared to order on the kitchen line at the Columns hotel, I have also included quantities for yielding 6 portions. If you are preparing the 6-portion yield version you may want to sauté three of the trout filets at a time to ensure the pan stays hot during the cooking process.
| Ingredients | |||
| 1 portion | 6 portions | ||
| 1 | 6 | Each | Trout filet, 6-ounce |
| 1 | 1 ½ | Cups | All Purpose Flour, seasoned |
| ½ | 3 | Tbsp | Clarified butter |
| Pinch | Salt & white pepper mixture* | ||
| Topping | |||
| 1 portion | 6 portions | ||
| ½ | 3 | Tbsp | Clarified butter |
| ¼ | 1 ½ | Cups | Mushrooms, sliced |
| 1 | 3 | Tbsp | Green onions, chopped |
| ¼ | 1 ½ | Cups | Crabmeat, jumbo lump |
| ½ | 3 | Ounce | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 | 2 | Pinch | Salt & white pepper mixture* |
| ¼ | 1 ½ | Cups | Beurre Blanc sauce |
| Procedure Steps | |
| 1. | Season the trout filet(s) with the salt and white pepper mixture and dredge in the seasoned flour. |
| 2. | Heat a sauté pan until very hot and add the clarified butter. |
| 3. | Sauté the trout filet rounded side down first, when golden brown flip in pan and place in 450° F oven until done, about 5-8 minutes. |
| 4. | In another sauté pan, heat the clarified butter and sauté the mushrooms and green onions until tender. |
| 5. | Add the crabmeat and toss gently with the Worcestershire sauce, season to taste with the salt and white pepper. |
| 6. | Center plate the trout, top with the crabmeat mixture, and then ladle the Beurre Blanc sauce on top. |
| 7. | Garnish with fresh parsley and fresh lemon wedges. |
*You may have noticed that in the ingredients for this recipe there is a salt and white pepper mixture, this is typically found on most kitchen lines, and is usually a 1:1 ratio mixture of salt to white pepper, the ratios can vary depending on the restaurant. If you want to mix up a small batch, typically 2 tablespoons of white pepper and 2 tablespoons of salt will do, seal and store the remainder for future use.
16 responses so far ↓
1 denise @ quickies on the dinner table // Feb 19, 2010 at 10:20 am
This sounds divine. Trout, crabmeat, mushrooms and green onions all in the same dish. Definitely my kinda recipe!
2 Ed Schenk // Feb 19, 2010 at 11:23 am
Great recipe although the Burre Blanc might be tricky for some(I used to make gallons of this at the restaurant).
3 pegasuslegend // Feb 19, 2010 at 11:37 am
you never cease to amaze me with these prize deserving recipes! They are all winners !!!
4 5 Star Foodie // Feb 19, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Mmm… this sounds awesome and I’ve never actually had this specific preparation! Must try it soon!
5 Bibi // Feb 19, 2010 at 1:51 pm
That looks absolutely delicious.
I like the part about holding the plate with kitchen towel. I grew up in a hotel in Europe and graduated from Hotel Academy and it was a big no-no if you didn’t do that.
Living in Canada for almost 20 years now. I don’t think I ever saw that.
6 Ruth // Feb 19, 2010 at 2:28 pm
You and Drick really must have been reading my mind!!! I have trout and grouper in the freezer and this recipe is perfect. Just need to get myself some crabmeat!
7 Jessie // Feb 19, 2010 at 3:23 pm
the entire dish alone is making my mouth water! I’m loving theBeurre Blanc sauce sounds delicious
8 Mary // Feb 19, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Mmmmm.. love this dish!
9 redkathy // Feb 19, 2010 at 4:15 pm
This is wonderful, wish I could have a plate right now!
10 Ingeborg // Feb 19, 2010 at 7:13 pm
I’m salivating!!
11 Drick // Feb 20, 2010 at 1:48 pm
great recipe – had this many years ago in New Orleans and had forgotten about it … shame on me
12 penny aka jeroxie // Feb 21, 2010 at 7:31 am
Seafood seafood. I just love it. Even though I do not work in a kitchen, I use a teatowel pretty often to hold on to plates.
13 Trix // Feb 21, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Mmm, I had pompano Pontchartrain at Antoine’s a few years back and now I have this recipe, thank you!!!!
14 Doc // Feb 21, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Thanks Chef,
So great of you to bring these classics to us. Much appreciated!
15 Fish for Lent? | another wine blog // Mar 7, 2010 at 2:20 pm
[…] Cajun Chef Ryan’s Trout Pontchartrain […]
16 chef rocco... // Nov 14, 2010 at 7:28 pm
This is an awesome dish, and in many opinions, one of the 100 dishes you MUST TRY before you die! OR have it every Friday (smiling)
I’m preparing it tonight just in case I get run over by a bus. (haha) It’s DELISH!