Trout Ponchartrain

By norsegal8

Of course the filets of any flaky, white fish will work fine here; so will most any mushroom. I'm a fanatic for the wild varieties like chantarelles, morels, porcinis, black trumpets, hedgehogs and hen of the woods, but back in the day, even button mushrooms did the trick.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon basic creole spices
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 cups panko bread crumbs
• 6 speckled trout filets
• salt
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 handful fresh wild mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Tabasco
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 cup basic Hollandaise sauce

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine the flour and Creole spices in a wide dish. Beat the eggs and milk together in another wide dish. Pour the bread crumbs in a third wide dish.

2. Season the fish filets with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the seasoned flour, dip them in the egg wash, then dredge them in the bread crumbs.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the fish until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish when done to paper towels to drain.

4. Pour off any remaining oil from the skillet. Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the butter and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots and garlic are soft but have not taken on any color, 3-5 minutes. Add the crabmeat, lemon juice and a little bit of salt and cook until the crab is just heated through, 3-5 minutes, keeping the crabmeat from breaking up. Season with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Fold in the chopped chives.

5. Divide the fish between 6 warm plates, spoon sauce Hollandaise on each, and top with a heaping spoonful of the crab and mushrooms. Serve more sauce Hollandaise on the side.