How to Make Roasted Pistachio Crusted Trout in 25 Minutes

How to Roast Pistachio Crusted Trout

We are trying to eat more fish in our house, at least once or twice a week. Trout is a favorite; it is quick, easy to prepare, and reasonably priced. So I picked up this farm-raised trout at Wegmans to make roasted pistachio-crusted trout.

Roasting Fish Rule

My general rule of thumb for roasting fish is 400°F for 10 minutes. Of course, that can change based on the type and thickness of the fish and the accuracy of your oven, but if you need a simple go-to formula, this typically works.

How do you know when the fish is done?

• Most cookbooks will tell you to use a fork to poke the thickest part of the fish and check for opaqueness and flaking. Not a bad rule of thumb, but I believe you need to remove it just before it flakes or the fish will overcook and dry out.
• Remember, you most likely are not going to get that fish on the plate and to the table immediately and the fish will continue to cook as you’re setting up the plates with the sides, getting the kids to the table, opening and pouring some wine and finishing whatever else needs to be done.
• Better to remove the fish just before it flakes but starts to firm up. An excellent way to tell is by using the tip of a knife to peek at the inside of the cooked fish. With experience, you’ll see it looks like it wants to flake but resists and the meat is starting to firm up.
• You’ll also notice the flesh has gone from translucent to opaque. Once you let the fish rest while you get everything ready to serve, the fish should be done and ready to serve.
• Saying this, I know some of you don’t like your fish under-cooked and prefer to cook until it flakes. That’s fine but I wanted to explain why sometimes you think you’ve cooked the fish perfectly and it seems dry when you eat it.
• I find this particularly true when grilling fish like tuna or swordfish. I sometimes get distracted and let the fish cook to flakiness and I don’t understand why it is dry.
• Cooking fish, an incredibly delicate fish, takes practice, but once you get a feel for cooking it, the timing becomes natural.

Nuts on Hand

We usually have pistachio nuts in our pantry, almonds, cashews, and walnuts for oatmeal, salads, or stir-fry. If we buy a bigger bag at Costco, we use a vacuum sealer to make small batches so they stay fresher longer.

Nuts do not last that long once opened. After that, they go rancid and don’t taste very good.

We often buy a big bag of pine nuts because we often cook with them, but these are stored in the freezer until needed. Then, when a recipe calls for them, we grab what we need from the freezer, and they don’t seem to lose any of their taste or quality.

Now I’m wondering if I should freeze the other nuts we buy.

Sides

We served steamed asparagus and leftover risotto as our side dishes for this meal. My wife and I typically prepare the sides from scratch but always look for ways to serve up something made earlier in the week hanging out in the refrigerator.