Oven-Fried Lake Trout with Spicy Slaw and Chipotle Mayonnaise

By Sanford D'Amato / Photography By Myrica von Haselberg | June 11, 2018

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)

Oven-Fried Lake Trout

½ cup bread crumbs from good-quality dried bread (I used whole-grain bread)
¼ cup fine cornmeal
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground fennel
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle peppe
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional to oil baking sheet
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
4 (6- to 7-ounce skinless filets, about 1-inch thick) fresh lake trout, each filet cut into 3 equal pieces
Spicy Slaw (recipe follows)
Chipotle Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Spicy Slaw

1 small cabbage (14-16 ounces), outer leaves and core removed, halved and sliced very thin to yield about 12 ounces
1 small (3 ounce) carrot, peeled and grated
1 small (2 ounce) red onion, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
½ tablespoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoons walnut oil
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried (need about ½ cup packed)

Chipotle Mayonnaise

1 small (½ ounce) shallot, peeled, thinly sliced, rinsed under warm water and dried
1 small (¼ ounce) garlic clove, peeled, thinly sliced, rinsed under warm water and dried
6 pitted green olives (about 1½ ounces), rinsed and dried with paper towel
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 egg yolk, room temperature
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup regular olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Water, if needed

Preparation

For the Oven-Fried Trout

Set up the breading station by mixing together the bread crumbs, cornmeal, cumin, fennel, chipotle, the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, the 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil very well in a bowl. Place the flour in another bowl, and in a third bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season each piece of trout lightly with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece in flour—pat off the excess—dip in egg—let excess drip off, then place in bread crumb mixture and coat well, patting lightly, to adhere. Place each filet on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in a preheated 475° to 500° oven for 5-7 minutes until just cooked through and lightly golden. Divide the fish onto 4 plates and serve with the Spicy Slaw and Chipotle Mayonnaise.

For the Spicy Slaw

Mix all of the ingredients, except the cilantro, in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Before serving, toss well, then mix in the cilantro leaves.

For the Chipotle Mayonnaise

Place the shallot, garlic, olives, chipotle in sauce, black pepper, egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of the lime juice in a mini food processor. Process until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides in between, for about 10 seconds total. With the machine running, start drizzling in the oil until half of the oil is in, then add half of the remaining lime juice. Add the remaining oil, then the remaining lime juice and turn off machine. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Add water by the teaspoon to adjust the consistency of the mixture if it is too thick (it should have the consistency of mayonnaise). Reserve in the refrigerator.