Flaky, yet firm.  Mild yet flavorful.  Plentiful and sustainable.  Farmed rainbow trout is a great fish to include in the weekly diet, but many home cooks tend to avoid it because thin filets of fish can be intimidating to cook.  Either the fish results in being too dry, or it breaks up into pieces before it ends up on the plate.  Rainbow trout is available year-long in most supermarkets and filets usually weigh in at around 4 ounces, which is a perfect serving size.  While baking is a viable method, nothing beats pan-searing. There’s something about getting the skin turn golden brown and crispy.  Here are some of my tips.

1. Don’t cook the fish right out of the refrigerator, instead, cook it when the flesh is cool to the touch, not cold.
2. Spray the skin side with a bit of cooking spray, season the other side, and spray with cooking spray.
3. Heat up 1 tsp of olive oil in a wide stainless steel pan over low heat.  Coat the pan well.
4. Cook the fish on the skin side first.
5. Cook the fish on low heat, 3 minutes each side, or until the flesh turns opaque.
6. Flip once!
7. If the fish sticks to the pan, carefully nudge it loose from the sides with a flat spatula.

Go ahead, give it a try.  No practice needed, and easy to master.

Kin