Whole fish question

I have two cleaned whole rainbow trout, about 11 oz. each. I am interested in cooking on either by grill or broiler (both electric) or possibly pan frying (ex. - I love this domiyangnyeomgui recipe from Maangchi). Her recipe for a 1 3/4 lb. whole fish takes 15-20 a side on medium. For my smaller 11 oz. guys, how much less time per side should I expect them to take? Thanks!

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Either preps are going to be lovely. Grilled would probably be my first choice, then pan-fried.

I would keep an eye on them, obviously, but 12-15 min seems reasonable.

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5-7 minutes first side, 1-2 minutes less 2nd side

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11 oz = 311 grams. Your trout should take no more than a few minutes on each side. Too long and the flesh would dry out. Rather under done than over when it comes to fish.

To check for doneness, the flesh should be opaque and just barely firm to the touch. The bones will have some redness on them.

My big fish like this brill (2,8 lbs) would take about 20 mins in the oven.

I love whole fish. Always get them whole whenever possible. The bones hold them together during cooking and provide flavour.

Brill is my favourite flatfish. Turbot (never buy farm-raised) rarely. Flavour of brill is superior, not to mention the price.

Fishmonger skinned it for me. I took the massive head home.

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That’s so interesting. Whenever I’ve grilled whole trout, it’s taken at least 12-15 min total… but I prefer my skin crispy :slight_smile:

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How long to grill (or broil) really depends on the thickness of the fish, and less on the overall weight.

And of course the heat. One person’s “medium” is another person’s “high” …

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I use the “Canadian” method: for every inch measured at the fish’s thickest spot, 10 minutes on a hot grill and 15 minutes at 400 F.

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grilling and broiling and pan frying don’t have the same timings.

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I know. I was referring to grilling, as that is my usual MO.

Thanks, everyone! Will update when I actually cook the trout.

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One method you might want to get used to…

When I cook fish in an open pan, if it is skin on, I’ll start with the skin side down.

As it cooks, you will see the fish’s texture/color/translucency change upwards from the surface of the pan. When those visible changes get to about two thirds the way up, I’ll flip it. If that took about 9 minutes, I’ll continue cooking for about another three.

IMHO, this is much more accurate than working with a set time. And while there are some cuts of fish that don’t change that much visually, in their case I have these long bamboo skewers (toothpick sized) that I’ll just poke the edge of the fish with to gauge its texture. Once the texture feels right at above half way up from the bottom of the pan, it’s time to flip.

Enjoy your trout!

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Thanks - they are whole fish though, so, skin on both sides :slight_smile:

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LOL… oops! Toothpick method might still work though.

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As suggested above, pan frying will take less time than grilling. 11oz is a small fish. Rocky Moutain born husband, who used to cook trout minutes out of the river, simply dips moist whole fish in coarse corn meal then pan fries in preferably bacon fat. It will take only a few minutes per side. The meat on that size fish is no more than 1/2 inch thick.

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Thank you!

I’ve caught and immediately eaten trout near the stream many times. Put flour and spices in a paper bag, carry along a prepared pan and a portable gas stove. For two 11" trout, the main concern is to make the skin crispy and brown (like the beautiful picture above). My favorite.

Never timed it, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out if you pan fry. Always turned out delicious.

Ray

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Most memorable for me were two legal sized cut throat trout I caught just off the dock in a row boat at Yellowstone Nat’l Park.

They were delicious.

Ray

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Just checking in to thank everyone again! I made the fish in a pan on the cooktop tonight and 5 minutes a side on medium high did the trick for 11 oz. trout. I followed this recipe for the most part - https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-whole-trout-with-sage-and-white-wine

Here’s the result:

Thanks!

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Looks fabulous!

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Thank you!