Should I eat trout with skin?
Although trout aren't as abundant as panfish, they're still a popular fish to catch in cold-water lakes and streams across the U.S.They are also widely available at supermarkets and fishmongers and can be enjoyed by non-anglers.The skin on a grilled or pan-seared trout is the best part of large fillets that are sometimes sold skinless at the supermarket.
Salmonids are a group of fish that include both Atlantic and Pacific salmon.Their flesh is rich in oil, which makes them one of the few fresh-water fish to have significant amounts of heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.Like other salmonids, trout have a rosy pink hue to their flesh.Like their kin, a trout's skin is tender and delicate and is often left on when cooking.
If you've caught your own panfish-sized trout, they don't require a lot of preparation.They are small enough to be unnoticeable when you eat them.If you plan to eat the skin of a larger trout, the scales must be removed.After rinsing the trout thoroughly under cold water, you can wash them with clean paper towels.If you're working with fillets, make sure to check for any bones that might have been left behind.
To minimize the risk of trout sticking, you should clean and oil the bars of your grill.Before putting your trout on, preheat it to moderate heat.Small trout can be grilled whole, while fillets or fillet portions are a better choice for larger fish.If you want to keep the flesh intact, use a fish-grilling basket.Grill for about four or five minutes on each side, depending on the trout's thickness, beginning with the skin side up if you're using fillets.Once the flesh has grill marks, turn the fillets and let most of the cooking occur on the skin side.
The trout's texture is unaffected if you lightly grill the skin.It protects the flesh as the fish grills, and preserves some of the fat that would otherwise be rendered away over the grill.If you grill the skin until it's charred and crisp, you'll get the same flavor as if you sear a steak.Professional chefs often leave the crisp skin in place because it adds a pleasing contrast to the pink flesh.