Put and Take Sverige
Cook brown trout
Did you land brown trout on your put-and-take water? Good news: brown trout is a first-class eating fish and cooks in exactly the same ways as rainbow trout. It is a salmonid with firm, flavourful flesh, and all the classic methods work. Here is what is worth thinking about, with links to the recipes that fit.
Brown trout cooks like rainbow trout
Brown trout and rainbow trout are close kin, so you can use the same recipes straight across. The difference is mainly in the flesh and the flavour: brown trout is often a little firmer and leaner, with a fuller taste than mild rainbow. Sea trout is fatter and juicier, while stream brown trout is leaner and delicate. The practical point is that leaner brown trout dries out more easily, so take it off a little earlier than you would rainbow trout.
Recipes that work for brown trout
All of these work as well with brown trout as with rainbow:
- Quick and good: fried or seared with crisp skin.
- At the grill or the fire: in foil with onion, dill and butter.
- In the oven: baked whole with lemon and dill.
- With a sauce: lemon and dill sauce, which lifts the flavour of brown trout well.
- To keep and to serve: gravad or smoked.
Watch the fat and the cooking time
Because brown trout is often leaner than farmed rainbow, it benefits from a little extra butter or oil in the pan, and from not being overcooked. Aim for flesh that has just turned opaque and comes away easily, but is still juicy. If you are going to cure it gravad or cold-smoke it, freeze it first for 2–3 days. How you look after the fish from the water is under gutting fish, and if you would rather cook Arctic char you will find that under cook Arctic char.
FAQ
Do you cook brown trout the same way as rainbow trout?
Yes, more or less. Brown trout and rainbow trout are both salmonids and cook the same way: fried, grilled, in foil, gravad or smoked. Brown trout flesh is often a little firmer and leaner, so watch that it does not dry out – take it off a little earlier.
Does brown trout taste different from rainbow trout?
Brown trout has a slightly fuller, more distinct flavour than mild rainbow, especially sea trout, which is fatter. Stream brown trout is leaner and delicate. The mild seasoning with lemon and dill suits both very well.
Must brown trout be frozen before curing gravad?
Yes, just like any fish that will be gravad or cold-smoked. Freeze for at least 2–3 days to deal with any parasites, because the fish is never heated through.