Home ยป Main Dishes ยป Trout Almondine

Trout Almondine

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

Fine dining meets weeknight dinner in this classic Trout Almondine recipe. It’s quick and easy to prepare but will make you feel like a Michelin star chef!ย  Perfectly pan-fried fish served with a buttery sauce featuring toasted almonds, lemon, and parsley – yes, it’s a showstopper!

If youโ€™re craving more delicious French cuisine, be sure to also check out my recipes forย Remoulade, Beef Bourgignon, French Lentil Stew, French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned Vegetables, Pork Rilettes, Green Beans Almondine, French Almond Plum Cake, and our irresistible chocolate Pot de Crรจme!

trout almondine recipe best amandine French classic traditional almonds butter

If youโ€™re craving a five star seafood dinner but arenโ€™t necessarily a Michelin star home chef, this Trout Almondine is the recipe for you! I first encountered this dish on a previous trip to the coast of France and that was followed up by ordering it again at a seafood restaurant in Seattle. It’s an upscale seafood dish that is surprisingly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Treat yourself to a fine meal by making this easy trout dinner tonight!

What is Trout Almondine? 

Trout almondine is a classic French dish and the term “almondine” is the anglicized version of amandine, which means “almonds” in French.  This fine dining seafood dish is now commonly found on the menus of upscale French restaurants throughout the world and even in restaurants throughout Louisiana where it has become a staple of Cajun cooking. 

The star of the dish is the sauce, known in French as meuniรจre, which I absolutely love.ย  Fish filets are dredged in flour, pan-fried, and then served with a buttery sauce featuring toasted almonds, fresh lemon juice, and parsley.ย  This famous dish is a wonderful play of contrasting flavors and textures.ย ย 

amandine recipe french almonds

When most of think of fine dining, we often visualize fancy recipes that are finicky to make and are created using an expansive list of ingredients.   With Trout Almondine, however, you have an upscale restaurant classic that not only has a short ingredient list but it also easy to make.  Even a beginning cook can tackle this dish with confidence and create something that dinner guests will praise!

What Kind of Fish Can I Use?

The classic fish is trout.ย  Trout has a mild flavor so if you’re concerned about that dreaded “fishy” taste then trout is a great choice.ย  Growing up in Germany, I used to go trout fishing with my dad and it was one of few fish varieties I would willingly eat because of its mild flavor. Trout almondine can be made with trout filets or the whole trout.ย  You’ll find it served both ways in restaurants.ย  If you prefer filets and are experienced in filleting fish, you can readily find whole trout at the supermarket.ย  You can also easily find “how to filet fish” tutorials on YouTube.

Alternatively, there are several other types of fish that are great for almondine.  You can also use cod, halibut, mackerel, sole, flounder, or tilapia.  

fresh whole trout

What to Serve With Trout Almondine 

Traditional sides include steamed or sautรฉed haricots verts (French green beans) and fingerling or small potatoes with butter.ย  Other great pairings include a simple leafy green salad, steamed or roasted broccoli or asparagus, mashed potatoes, steamed rice, rice pilaf, or some rustic crusty bread you can use to mop up that phenomenal sauce.

Recipe Tips

  • Avoid overcooking the trout. When cooked for too long, the trout will dry out quickly and result in a flaky, dry mess. You can use a meat thermometer to help check for doneness and to avoid overcooking it. Once the meat reaches at least 145ยฐF, the fish is cooked and safe to eat.
  • Try your best to buy fresh trout, not frozen. It really makes all the difference. Frozen trout doesnโ€™t pan sear nearly as well as fresh, even when itโ€™s thawed. Whether you buy the fish from a local fish market or a grocery store, make sure itโ€™s freshly caught.ย 
  • Be careful not to scorch the almonds or they will turn bitter. As soon as they golden/light brown in color it’s time to turn off the heat.
  • When using lemon juice, use the same advice as I gave for the fish – use FRESH lemon juice! Again, it makes such a noticeable difference. Using the store-bought bottled stuff just doesn’t provide the same tangy, zesty, vibrantly fresh flavor.ย 
trout almondine recipe best amandine French classic traditional almonds butter

Trout Almondine Recipe

Let’s get started!

Using a dry pan heated over medium-high heat, toast the sliced almonds on both sides until lightly browned.  Be careful not to scorch them or they will be bitter.

Set aside until ready to use.

toasting sliced almonds

Prepare the fish.

As mentioned above, trout almondine is both commonly served with whole trout as well as with filets.  We’re making our trout almondine with filets.  (There are numerous tutorials on YouTube on how to de-bone and filet trout.)

preparing fresh fish

Sprinkle both sides of the fish filets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the flour in a shallow dish and dredge both sides of the filets in the flour.  Shake off the excess flour.

dredging fish in flour

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Fry the fish filets, skin side down first, until the skins are generously browned.  Carefully turn the fish filets over and cook the other side until the fish is done (the USDA recommends 145 degrees F. You can also test it by sticking a fork into the thickest part at an angle and give it a gentle twist so you can see into the flesh. Once the fish is opaque and has lost its translucent appearance is done.) Be careful not to overcook the fish or it will be dry.

Transfer the fish to a warm plate and tent with foil while you prepare the sauce.

frying fish in pan

Next let’s make that fabulous meuniรจre sauce!

Melt the butter in the same pan.  Stir in the lemon juice.

melting butter adding lemon juice

Stir in the parsley and the toasted sliced almonds.

adding parsley and almonds to pan

Stir to combine and coat the almonds.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the two trout filets on each plate (or one large filet) and spoon some of the sauce over the filets. Serve immediately.

trout almondine recipe best amandine French classic traditional almonds butter

And that’s all there’s to it.ย  Your five-star meal is ready to serve!

Enjoy!

trout almondine recipe best amandine French classic traditional almonds butter

Be sure to try some of our other favorite seafood recipes:

trout almondine recipe best amandine French classic traditional almonds butter

Trout Almondine

A five star meal that's easy to prepare but will leave you feeling like a Michelin star chef! Perfectly pan-fried fish served with a buttery sauce of toasted almonds, lemon, and parsley – it's a showstopper!
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Entree, Main Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 4

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 8 3-4 oz trout filets (or four 6-8 ounce filets) (can also use cod, halibut, mackerel, sole, flounder, or tilapia)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • For the Sauce:
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • Using a dry pan heated over medium-high heat, toast the sliced almonds on both sides until lightly browned.ย  Be careful not to scorch them or they will be bitter. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Sprinkle both sides of the fish filets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
    Place the flour in a shallow dish and dredge both sides of the filets in the flour. Shake off the excess flour.
    Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.ย  Fry the fish filets in batches, skin side down, until the skins are nicely browned.ย  Carefully turn the fish filets over and cook the other side until the fish is done (the USDA recommends 145 degrees F. You can also test it by sticking a fork into the thickest part at an angle and give it a gentle twist so you can see into the flesh. Once the fish is opaque and has lost its translucent appearance is done.) Be careful not to overcook the fish or it will be dry.
    Transfer the fish to a warm plate and tent with foil while you prepare the sauce.
  • To make the sauce: Melt the butter in the same pan.ย  Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and the toasted sliced almonds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    Place two filets on each plate (or one large filet) and spoon some sauce over each filet. Serve immediately.
Keyword Trout Almondine, Trout Amandine
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

ย Originally published on Daring Gourmet April 15, 2021

 

 

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

Read more about me...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




5 from 11 votes (4 ratings without comment)

25 Comments

  1. I’ve always loved trout almondine but this is the first time I tried making it. I honestly always assumed there was more to it than this, I never dreamed it would be so easy and so fast. Well not only was it both, it was SO delicious!

  2. This was delicious. It always amazes me how sometimes a recipe that is so simple can produce such amazing results. This was easy, quick, and fabulous.

  3. Made Trout using your recipe for a friend for her birthday. Had a white zinfandel with it. She was very surprised at how easy it was to make and at the wonderful flavor. Thank you very much. The trout was wild caught which I think helped the flavor.

    1. Hi Adam, it depends on the thickness of the trout but you’ll want to fry it on the first side (skin side down) until the skin is nice and crispy, then fry it on the other side until it’s done. The easiest way to determine that is to use an instant read thermometer – it should read 145 F. Alternatively you can insert a fork at an angle into the thickest part of the fish and gently twist the fork. The fish is done when it’s flaky and no longer translucent.

      1. my question is the same as the above request. To just repeat the instructions from the recipe is insulting. You could at least give a range ie 4-10 minutes on each side depending on thickness. I am a cook, but not fish, so mine ended up being overcooked by the tie I had checked out other recipes (WHICH ACTUALLY GAVE ME COOKING TIMES).

        1. Hi Cornelia, my response wasn’t meant to be insulting, it was meant to be helpful. Giving a wide range like 4-10 minutes isn’t very helpful as it doesn’t take into account the thickness of the fish, the type of frying pan, type of heat source, etc. The most helpful recommendation I can give for cooking fish so that it is cooked perfectly and doesn’t end up being overcooked is to use an instant read thermometer. In the absence of having a thermometer I offered the next best recommendation which is how to determine doneness by its appearance. Either of those recommendations will help you successfully cook the fish, giving a range of 4-10 minutes will not.

        2. Get a grip, Cornelia. If you’re so angry, why not call the Internet and demand your money back for this recipe.

  4. This was the best Trout Almondine I have ever had or made! Thank you for the recipe. It came together so quickly, which is always a plus. The trout was not fishy. The butter, lemon, almonds and parsley complimented it perfectly. Yum!

  5. Made this recipe for 2 tonight (August 20, 2021). 5 stars! Followed recipe exactly except for 2. Highly recommended.

  6. Looks fabulous but as you know trout is very bony. Some instruction in the recipe on de-boning trout would be helpful. In this recipe I guess you just eat around the bones? I really enjoy your posts and have made several of your recipes. Hungarian beef and onion stew is a favorite!
    Michael & Angela – Oregon

    1. Thank you, Michael and Angela! Yes, trout is very bony and I was going to post step-by-step pictures on how to do that but decided against it. Watching a video is more effective for that kind of instruction and so I instead added the note about the availability of a lot of “how to” videos on YouTube, which is what I recommend.

  7. This was delicious! Iโ€™d only had Trout Almondine in restaurants before. Great to be able to make it at home.

    Kimberly, I just want to thank you for all of your delicious recipes. I found your website by searching for a recipe for Stollen. Your stollen recipe is delicious, too!

    Iโ€™m German American and I love German food. You have so many great recipes, all in one place. And you explain very well how to make them. I love how you have recipes from all over the world, with links to where to get the authentic ingredients. Having authentic ingredients makes a world of difference. I visit a lot of food blogs, but your site has probably got the most extensive selection of recipes from all over the world. Danke, Kimberly!