Pan Seared Trout with Blood Orange Sauce
I was so happy to see blood oranges at my local fruit and vegetable market this week. Not only are they beautiful, with their dramatic, vibrant flesh colour, but they are also delicious, with a subtle sweetness infused with tangy red grapefruit and hints of tart cherries and raspberries. Oh yes, and nutritious as well!
Today I used the juice and zest, combined with some ginger, soya sauce, and sesame oil for an Asian inspired pan sauce to spoon over seared trout fillets. Topping each fillet with a seared orange slice makes for an elegant presentation.
This is a super quick, and easy dish for a weeknight supper that’s special enough for a dinner party (when we can have those again, post covid-19!).
Substitutions
Don’t worry if you can’t find blood oranges, you can substitute naval oranges, or another type of orange that has a fair bit of juice. If using a sweeter orange, taste the juice, adding more lemon juice to the mix if you find it too sweet.
I used skin on fillets in this recipe but use skinless fillets if you prefer. You can also substitute salmon fillets for the trout. Salmon may take a bit longer to cook per side if it is a thicker cut fillet.
Ingredients
- 3 Blood Oranges juice and zest from two , the 3rd is cut into thin slices
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp soya sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 small red chili, thinly slices (optional)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ -2 lbs trout fillet cut into 4 portions
- ¼ cup dry white wine (or substitute stock or water)
Instructions
- Thinly slice one of the oranges and set aside.In a small bowl, whisk together the juice and zest of the remaining oranges, the lemon juice, soya sauce, grated ginger, sesame oil and the red chili, if using. Set aside.Optional: the trout can be marinated in the sauce for 15-20 minutes prior to cooking if you wish. Remove the fillets from the marinade and pat dry before searing.
- Cut the trout fillet into 4 equal portion. If smaller fillets, use two and cut in half. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Heat the olive oil over med-high heat in a non-stick frying pan. Sear the trout portions, skin side down until the skin is slightly crisped, 3-5 minutes. Flip the trout and sear the top for 2-3 minutes.Transfer the trout to a warm plate.
- Place the blood orange slices in the pan. Sear for 1 minute on each side.
- Add the white wine, or stock, to the pan and stir to deglaze. Add the juice mixture and let come to a boil. Return the trout to the pan for a minute, spooning some sauce over top of each trout portion.Remove from the heat and transfer the trout to a serving platter, or individual plates. Place a seared orange slice on top of each piece, use remaining slices as garnish on the side. Spoon the pan sauce over top.
- Serve with orzo or rice and your choice of vegetables on the side.