Serve this as an appetizer when entertaining fishing friends. Fresh trout is phenomenal, but any trout from the market will do just fine. The trick is the grilling.
Recipe courtesy Kirk Deeter
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INGREDIENTS • Cleaned trout (leave skin and head on) • Olive oil • Salt and pepper • Apples or lemons, thinly sliced • Bruschetta or French bread, sliced • Green tomatillo salsa (spicy) • Mayonnaise
Rub fish lightly with olive oil, inside and out. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the fish, then stuff it with thinly sliced apples (or lemon slices). Wrap the fish loosely in foil, dull side in, with the seam running the length of one side.
Real charcoal, with some mesquite or apple wood mixed in, is best, but gas grills work fine. You want a medium, even heat. Cook fish under a closed cover. How long depends on the grill temperature, fish thickness and other factors; five minutes on each side is a good baseline. Cook seam-side down first. After five minutes, flip packet and open the seam. Cook another five minutes, lid down.
You can buy sliced bruschetta or slice up a loaf of French bread, ¼-inch thick. Place slices on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes or toast them in the broiler until golden brown.
Use your own favorite or try a simple mix of green tomatillo salsa verde (spicy) and mayonnaise. Add this to the top of the bruschetta, like buttering toast.
With a sharp knife, cut down the back of the fish and gently peel one fillet off the bones. Lift the tail to pull the bones from the other fillet. Using a fork, add tender pieces of grilled trout to the sauce-coated bruschetta, then maybe a small dollop of sauce on top.