Hill Country smoked trout with jalapeño-cilantro lime butter

Name: Hill Country smoked trout with jalapeño-cilantro lime butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 2 to 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 to 4 whole stocker rainbow trout, gutted and gills removed; Pecan or post oak wood chunks or pellets; 2 tbsp kosher salt; 2 tbsp dark brown sugar; 1 tsp coarse black pepper; ½ tsp garlic powder; 4 tbsp softened unsalted butter; ½ jalapeño, seeded and finely minced; 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced; Zest and juice of ½ lime; A pinch of salt

A short dry brine, a tacky skin that forms as the fish air-dries in the refrigerator (cooks call it a pellicle), and a low, mild smoke turn a stocked trout into something worth the wait.

Use pecan or post oak, serve the trout while it is warm and melt a coin of jalapeño-cilantro lime butter over the top. Warm tortillas make it a meal.

About 2 to 3 hr. Serves 2 to 4.

Ingredients

2 to 4 whole stocker rainbow trout, gutted and gills removed
Pecan or post oak wood chunks or pellets

Dry brine

2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp coarse black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder

Jalapeño-cilantro lime butter

4 tbsp softened unsalted butter
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely minced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
Zest and juice of ½ lime
A pinch of salt

Method

Mix the salt, brown sugar, pepper and garlic powder. Rub it inside the cavities and over the skin. Set the fish uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, until the skin feels tacky.
While they sit, mash all the butter ingredients together, roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and chill it.
Set a ceramic grill or smoker to 225°F with mild pecan or post oak smoke.
Put the trout on oiled grates, or on a perforated grill pan, and smoke for 45 to 60 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and golden-bronze and reads 145°F.
Top each hot trout with a coin of the butter so it melts into the fish. Serve with warm flour tortillas or grilled street corn.

Notes

Mild woods like pecan and post oak suit a delicate fish. A strong wood can overpower it.
Cook fish to 145°F in the thickest part, which is the FDA’s temperature for fish. Check with a thermometer.
Stocked rainbows are small, so plan on about one fish per person. Our keeping guide covers the daily limit.
TPWD lists consumption advisories for some Texas waters. If you caught the fish, check the advisories for that water before you cook it.

Sources: FDA: Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely (content current as of Mar. 5, 2024), TPWD: Fish Consumption Bans and Advisories.

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