Parslied Steelhead Trout with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This proud beauty looks pretty good for 4:30 in the morning! I am, of course, referring to the fish. I look like hell at 4:30 in the morning. In the Time Zone and Latitude Where I Live, we have a pretty little lake nearby. When the fish were biting not so long ago, I caught this lovely trout before the sun rose. The morning and my catch were memorable because a beaver swam past as I landed the fish!

The early bird catches the fish - and in to the frying pan it went!

Food tastes better when you have a healthy relationship with it - catching, harvesting, or preparing it yourself. I can hardly wait to flick my fishing rod over that lake again! In the meanwhile, I'll have to put up with supermarket trout, which - if fresh - can also be quite delicious. Last night, we enjoyed a modest chunk of firm-fleshed steelhead - a fish until recently believed to be a trout, since reclassified as a salmon. Steelhead are highly prized and difficult to catch. I’ve fished for them in the chill of a January dawn with ice on the tip of my rod, and have never been colder! Here’s how I prepared last night’s dinner, Dollinks. My quick-and-easy recipe serves 2.

 Parslied Steelhead Trout with Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

2 steelhead fillets, skin on, fine bones removed (about 1 lb., total)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes, finely minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

Combine garlic, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil in a small bowl, mixing well. Lay fillets flat, making a couple of deep incisions in each, almost to the skin. Spoon some of sun-dried tomato mixture into each incision. Spread rest of mixture over fillets and refrigerate about 30 min., allowing flavors to blend. Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Bake fillets, uncovered, 12-to-15 min., until fish flakes and feels firm. Serve at once.

Spoon mixture into incisions in fillet before spreading over fish 

Special Note: Now personally, Dollinks, I never use the method below, though it does have its charms ...