Pan fried trout sandwich with tartar sauce

Sometimes simple can be the best choice. Today I'm letting the fish be the star in the meal and make a simple but delicious pan fried trout sandwich with homemade tartar sauce. The key to this recipe? Fresh fish!

Pan fried trout sandwich with tartar sauce

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup mayo

1 tbsp relish

1 tbsp minced red onion

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp tabasco

salt and peper

4 (6-7 oz) trout filets

salt and pepper

1 cup buttermilk, chilled

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup vegetable oil for frying 

4 buns

romaine lettuce

1 large tomato, sliced

Directions

1. For the tartar sauce, combine the mayonnaise - tabasco. Season with salt and pepper. Let it sit for at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving.
2. Season both sides of the trout filets with salt and pepper. Let it sit in the buttermilk in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour and cornmeal a separate bowl.
3. Dredge the fish in the flour and cornmeal mixture. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the trout. Pan-fry on each side for about 1 minute or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. To assemble the sandwich, spread tartar sauce on the bottom bun, top with lettuce, tomatoes, and the fish. Put a dollop of more tartar sauce on top of the fish and finish with the top bun. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving: 570 calories, 40.6g fat (7.1g saturated, 19g polyunsaturated, 12.3 monounsaturated), 30.7g carbohydrates, 1.7g fiber, 20g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you purchase your trout whole, remember to remove all the gills and bones. I used rainbow trout for this recipe.

Do not be shy with the salt and pepper when seasoning the fish since there is no seasoning in either the buttermilk or the flour mixture.

Using buttermilk enables the fish to get nice and crispy, something we all enjoy!

Instead of deep-frying, I shallow pan fried the fish in just the necessary amount of oil needed.

The freshness of the fish really is important in this sandwich as it will be noticeable. Fresh crispy battered fish with a dollop of creamy tangy tartar nice, what could be better? Enjoy with a side of pasta salad (no mayo!) and you have yourself a nice lunch.