Highland grilled trout
Pstrąg po góralsku: Tatra trout stuffed with garlic and herbs, fried in butter
Trout farms fed by cold Tatra streams supply the roadside grills and mountain inns of Podhale, and pstrąg po góralsku is what hikers order on the terrace with a view of Giewont: a whole fish, stuffed with garlic and fresh herbs, crisped in butter until the skin crackles. The flesh is sweet and delicate, scented by dill and parsley from the inside out. Serve it with boiled new potatoes, lemon and a cucumber salad with sour cream. The classic error is flipping too early, so the skin tears and sticks; leave it until it releases on its own. If you have a grill basket, the same fish is excellent over charcoal. Chef's tip: score the thickest part of each side twice, right down to the bone, so the head end cooks as fast as the tail.
- Total time
- 28 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the trout
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 3 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- ½ oz fresh dilla small bunch
- ½ oz fresh flat-leaf parsleya small bunch
- 1 lemonhalf sliced, half cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rinse the 2 whole trout, gutted and cleaned (about 350 g each) inside and out and pat very dry with kitchen paper. Score each side twice through the thickest part.
3 minStep 2: Season the cavity and skin with the 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Stuff each fish with the 3 garlic cloves, most of the ½ oz fresh dill, the ½ oz fresh flat-leaf parsley and two slices of ½ lemon.
4 minStep 3: Heat the 1 tbsp vegetable oil and half the ⅔ oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until the butter foams.
2 minStep 4: Lay in the trout and fry, without moving, for 6–7 minutes, until the skin is golden and the fish lifts away from the pan cleanly.
7 minStep 5: Turn carefully with a fish slice, add the rest of the ⅔ oz butter and fry the second side for 6 minutes, spooning the foaming butter over the fish.
6 minStep 6: Check the thickest part next to the head: the flesh should be opaque all the way to the bone and flake easily, and the back fin should pull out without effort. Give it 2 minutes more if it still looks glassy.
2 minStep 7: Serve on warm plates with the pan butter poured over, the remaining dill and the ½ lemon wedges.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does highland grilled trout take?
- About 28 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh flat-leaf parsley?
- Curly parsley or coriander, same amount.
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