Pan-Fried Trout

A blue plate with pan fried fish fillets on it.

5 from 1 vote

This Pan Fried Trout Recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook this beautiful fish. The fish comes out soft, flaky, and juicy with a light crust on the outside. You can taste the delicate fish, and it is so flavorful.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southern

Keyword: pan-fried sea trout, pan-fried trout, speckled sea trout recipe, trout recipe

Cooking Method: Stove

Servings: people

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Kari

Equipment

fillet knife
plastic cutting board
a fish turner
a frying pan, skillet, or griddle

Ingredients

2-4 small trout fillets about 1-1 ½ pounds of fish. This recipe can be used to make just about any kind of trout. I have used rainbow trout fillets and brown trout from the river, and speckled sea trout from the ocean. Both are delicious - though I prefer the sea trout because the fillets are bigger.
2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour or almond flour
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
lemon wedges

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pat dry the fish with crumpled paper towels and remove as many bones as you can. (See above for filleting instructions.)
2-4 small trout fillets
Begin heating a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once it is warm, add 1-2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt. (You can add more butter as needed later if the fillets absorb it.)
2-3 tablespoons butter
In a small shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
½ cup all-purpose flour, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Add the trout fillets and coat both sides in the flour mixture. Rest the fillets on a clean plate while the butter melts, shaking off the excess flour.
When the butter is hot and melted, lay the floured trout fillets in the pan to fry. They should sizzle.
Cook for about 3-5 minutes (the cooking time will depend on the size of your fillets) or until the flour starts to lightly brown - you can check this by lifting the edge with a fish turner.
Once the first side is brown, flip the fillet. Repeat until the second side is lightly golden brown and the fillet is slightly firm. Repeat for all of the fillets, adding more butter to the pan if needed.
When cooked, the internal temperature should be 145°F.
Transfer the fillets to a plate to serve and enjoy! I don’t serve them with a sauce, but you can make one if you want - the fish is so mild and delicious when served as is. I sometimes like to add a squeeze of lemon juice over the fish fillets and finish with a pinch of salt and pepper or a sprinkle of Livia's Seasoning.
lemon wedges

Notes

To make this recipe for a larger amount of fish to feed more people, just double or triple everything. This is the perfect amount for dinner for two from two smaller trout.

The trout fillets that I used were 90-120 grams each in weight before cooking, and I used four of them. (For US measurements, a pound to a pound and a half of fish will work!)

Nutrition