Ingredients
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2 skin-on rainbow trout fillets (about 6 oz / 170 g each), pin bones removed; steelhead or arctic char also work
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1/4 tsp salt, divided
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1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
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1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
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12 oz (340 g) green beans, trimmed
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3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
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2 tsp unsalted butter
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1 1/2 tbsp capers, drained
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1 lemon: 1 tsp finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice
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2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
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For serving: lemon wedges
Allergens Contains: Fish (trout), milk (butter).
Instructions
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1
Trim the beans, slice the garlic, and zest and juice the lemon. Pat the trout very dry on both sides — dry skin is what crisps — and season the flesh side with 1/8 tsp of the salt and the pepper.
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2
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay the fillets in skin-side down, pressing each with a spatula for 10 seconds so the skin stays flat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes without moving them, until the skin is golden and crisp and the flesh has turned opaque about two-thirds of the way up. Flip and cook 1 minute, until the thickest part flakes easily. Move to plates, skin-side up.
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3
Add the remaining 1 tsp oil, the green beans, the remaining 1/8 tsp salt and 3 tbsp water to the same pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes, until bright green. Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the water is gone and the beans have a few blistered brown spots, adding the garlic for the last minute so it turns pale gold without burning. Pile the beans beside the fish.
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4
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the butter and capers. Cook 30 to 60 seconds, until the butter foams and smells nutty and the capers start to pop and crisp at the edges.
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5
Take the pan off the heat and swirl in the lemon juice, zest and parsley. Spoon the sauce over the trout and beans. Taste a bean with some sauce before adding salt — the capers usually bring enough.
Tip
This is best eaten right away, while the skin is crisp. Leftover trout keeps 3 days refrigerated and is good cold, flaked over greens with the leftover beans; the skin will soften, so peel it off rather than reheating.
Storage & Food Safety
Cook fish until it flakes easily and reaches 145°F at the thickest point. Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F or below within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) and eat within 3 days. For children under 4, flake the fish and check carefully for small bones, and cut the green beans into small pieces cooked until soft.
Make It Yours
Steelhead or arctic char
Use fillets of the same weight. They're usually thicker, so add 1 to 2 minutes skin-side down. Protein and omega-3s stay in the same range, and both run a little richer in flavor.
If you don't like trout
Use 6-oz cod or halibut fillets, skinless, and cook 3 minutes per side. Calories drop by about 100 and protein by about 4 g per serving, but nearly all of the omega-3s go with the swap.
Dairy-free
Make the pan sauce with 2 tsp olive oil instead of butter. Calories stay the same and saturated fat drops by about 2 g per serving, though the sauce won't brown or taste as nutty.
Lower-sodium
Skip the salt on the green beans and rinse the capers before using. The salt alone saves about 145 mg sodium per serving, and rinsing takes off a little more, bringing it under 400 mg.
Heartier
Serve with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or farro per person to catch the lemon-caper sauce. Adds about 110 calories and 21 g net carbs per serving, to about 31 g net — more of a complex-carb plate, with the protein already there.
Nutrition
Per serving (1 fillet, about 1 1/2 cups green beans, sauce; about 385 g before cooking) — estimate, farmed rainbow trout.
Calories
420
Net Carbs
10g
Total Carbs
15g
Fiber
5g
Total Sugars
6g
Added Sugars
0g
Protein
38g
Fat
24g
Saturated Fat
7g
Sodium
550mg
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
~1.6g
Nutrition pending review by our registered dietitian — estimate only. Not medical advice.
Keywords
DinnerOmega-3One-PanTrout20 MinutesMediterranean
