Truite aux Haricots Verts et Amandes
Fresh sweet trout with lemony brown butter and crunchy almonds has become one of my favorite Bouchon dishes. We cook and serve trout with the skin and head on, though the head can be removed after cooking. When I see trout on menus, it brings to mind mountain rivers and fresh air; indeed, in inland France trout was traditionally served only in bistros that had access to freshwater fish, in rivers coming down off the Alps. Most of the trout you find, and the trout we use, is farm raised.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
To pan-dress the trout:
Step 1
With scissors, cut away the dorsal fin along the back of each fish. Hold each pectoral fin (the one closest to the head) and cut away and discard the gill plate and pectoral fin. Turn the fish on its back and open it up. Starting at the head, cut away the belly flap on each side, along with the pelvic fin. Remove the tail by cutting across the fish about an inch from the bottom of the tail. Set aside.
For the haricots verts:
Step 2
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the haricots verts in the boiling water for 2 to 6 minutes, or until they are barely tender, with a slight bite still left to them. Drain the beans and transfer to the ice bath to chill quickly, then drain again and dry on paper towels.
To complete:
Step 3
Lightly sprinkle both sides of each trout with salt and pepper. If you have them, heat two 12-inch nonstick pans (special oval pans work best for fish) over medium-high heat. If you have only one pan, cook two trout first, cover, and keep them in a warm place while you cook the final two. Coat each pan with a light film of canola oil. Add the trout skin side down and sauté for about 4 minutes on one side only. The fish may still look undercooked at the top of the flesh, but the hot ingredients that will top them will complete the cooking.
Step 4
Meanwhile, put the beans in a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1/3 cup water, and place over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the beans are hot and glazed with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
Step 5
When the fish are done, cut off the heads and discard, if desired, and place the fish on serving plates. Drain the oil from one of the pans and return the pan to the heat. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and a pinch of salt to the hot pan. When the butter begins to brown, add the almonds, shaking the pan to brown them evenly. When they are a rich golden brown, add the parsley and lemon juice.
Step 6
Meanwhile, cover each trout with one-quarter of the beans.
Step 7
Spoon the foaming butter and almonds over the haricots verts and around the edges of the plates.
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Reviews (20)
Back to TopThis is my family's favourite trout recipe. The Thomas Keller cookbook Bouchon has other great recipes too, but this is definitely the recipe I use the most from that book.
irvins1
Toronto, Canada
4/19/2020
Definitely a do-over. Next time I will make sure to not cook the butter & almonds quite so long...almost burned them!
Dittoheadla
Baton Rouge, LA
9/9/2016
Best fish I've had in a while - reminded me of the trout w almonds I had years ago living in the Black Forest. After I started making it, I realized I didn't have sliced almonds, only roasted whole almonds - so I just chopped them coarsely and cooked with the butter and lemon and it turned out fine with a nice crunch. We used supermarket rainbow trout filet, and they ended up delicious and juicy. Definitely will make again, and look forward to making it for even finicky guests
sekuler
Hamilton, ON
2/16/2014
Absolutely delicious! Everything goes so superbly together: delicate fish, crunchy beans and butter slathered toasted almonds. Amazing!
cheerycook
12/21/2013
My local fishmonger had trout filets,skin on of course, so I just stacked them together to re-create a whole fish! I cooked the fish on both sides, and the only change was a little dill and crushed rosemary between the fillets. It was fantastic. The green beans with butter, lemon juice, and almonds were a keeper in and of themselves. To top the meal off I served it with sweet potato fries, which I am ashamed to say I have become addicted to since moving from Mass to North Carolina!
BobinDurham
Durham,NC
10/7/2013
Simply delicious. I have made this a few times for friends and everyone is very impressed. I would like to know how Thomas Keller filleted the fish.
furrylogic
Hamburg, Germany
8/26/2011
Excellent recipe. Will make this again for sure. The method of cooking the fish augments the flavors of the fish without covering it up. The haricots verts are amazing.
matandmandy
San Francisco
2/21/2011
I have had this at the restaurant, and it was amazing. Made it at home without the haricot verts, with raw unblanched chopped almonds, and also forgetting the lemon juice. Reduced butter by a tiny bit. Still amazing. This cooking method really produces an absolutely perfectly cooked, just done fish. I was concerned about cutting "belly flaps" etc., but it was very easy to trim the trout as described--it will all make sense when you actually have the gutted and boned whole trout in front of you, and all you need is a pair of scissors.
Anonymous
Los Angeles, CA
10/12/2010
This was delicious. My only adjustment was regular pepper instead of white pepper, but I ended up wanting more beans and more lemon juice. I suggest following the recipe but then serving with lemon wedges. This is a recipe worthy of a dinner party.
ceedubbva
Alexandria, VA
8/28/2010
Wonderful recipe. Everybody was hungry, so I did it old mom's style with everything on the table before serving. I needed 6 whole fish and used fried potato halfs with skin for the side, for a total of 5 people. Had to make the texture of the potato just more consistent than the fish and yet softer than the haricots verts to make it blend with the dish - fried with olive oil and capers for the taste, added milk for the softness and some cherry tomatoes for the moist. Everyone loved it! The best fish we had in months!!
hcuppen
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
7/13/2009
We changed a couple of things: skipped the beans and added cherry tomatoes and chives. DEELISH! Also,we simplified things by using trout filets.
boggsy
Houston, TX
6/1/2009
One of my favorite recipes - such an elegant presentation, and absolutely delicious and satisfying. I just love the buttery crisp beans with the crunchy almonds. I make this with tilapia, trout or any white fish filets and it is a easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for guests.
emilycook
8/17/2008
我发现它更容易首席运营官k the trout whole and eat around the bones. I wouldn't do them whole for a dinner party, but for a regular meal, it makes for a fast and simple but delicious dinner.
Anonymous
Los Angeles
4/24/2007
The presentation is what impressed me most about the dish. The satisfying mix of fish, butter and lemon would be thoroughly enjoyable, if not for all the hard-to-remove bones.
greekliberator
12/14/2006
This was a wonderful dish. I was unable to find fresh trout so I substitued tilapia. I think any white fish would work.
Anonymous
Hebron, KY
8/24/2006
