Recipes: Pan-Seared Trout with Parsley Crème Fraîche & Blistered Tomatoes

This is a quiet dish.
Quick, but not rushed. Built on heat, restraint, and balance.

Crisp-skinned trout, a soft parsley purée cut with crème fraîche and a touch of chili, blistered tomatoes seasoned simply with olive oil and salt, and a lemon pan sauce finished with garlic and rosemary. It’s a plate that rewards attention and leaves room to adjust.

Ingredients 

Ingredients for pan-seared trout including fresh trout fillets, parsley, crème fraîche, cherry tomatoes, lemon, garlic, and rosemary

Trout

• 2 trout fillets, skin-on

• Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

• Neutral oil

Parsley Crème Fraîche Purée

• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed

• 2–3 tablespoons crème fraîche

• 1 small chili pepper (seeded for mild heat, or to taste)

• 1 small garlic clove (optional)

• Lemon juice

• Olive oil

• Salt

Tomatoes

• Vine cherry tomatoes

• Olive oil

• Light pinch of salt

Lemon Pan Sauce

• 1 small garlic clove, lightly crushed

• 1 small rosemary sprig

• Dry white wine or water (a small splash)

• Lemon zest

• Lemon juice

• Butter

Method

1. Parsley Purée (Make First)

Blanch the parsley briefly in salted boiling water until bright green. Transfer immediately to ice water, then squeeze dry.

Blend parsley with crème fraîche, chili, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and spoonable.
Taste and adjust heat and acidity.

Set aside at room temperature.

2. Tomatoes

Heat a small pan over medium-high.
Add tomatoes with olive oil and a light pinch of salt. Let blister and soften, allowing skins to split and juices to concentrate.

Remove from heat.

3. Trout

Pat trout dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet over medium-high with neutral oil.
Place trout skin-side down, pressing gently at first to prevent curling.

Cook until the skin is crisp and most of the flesh is opaque. Flip briefly if needed. Remove and rest.

Seared trout in pan

4. Lemon Pan Sauce

Lower the heat slightly.
Add garlic and rosemary to the pan and warm gently until fragrant, without browning.

Deglaze with a splash of wine or water, scraping up browned bits.
Add lemon zest and juice, then finish with butter, swirling until glossy.

Remove rosemary before serving.

To Plate

Spoon parsley purée onto the plate.
Place trout over or alongside.
Nestle blistered tomatoes on top.
Finish with lemon pan sauce and black pepper.

Serve immediately.

Pan-seared trout placed over parsley crème fraîche purée during plating

Pan-seared trout with crispy skin served over parsley crème fraîche purée, topped with blistered tomatoes and lemon pan sauce