Brook Trout

Know this

Here's the truth about the trout counter: if it's at the supermarket, it's farmed. Wild trout in the U.S. essentially can't be sold commercially, it's a fish you catch, or a fish a friend hands you wrapped in newspaper. That scarcity is the flavor: cold-stream wild brookies eat insects and crustaceans, and it shows in firm, sweet, faintly nutty flesh. Chef secret: cook it whole, bones in, the frame keeps it juicy, and after cooking the fillets lift clean off the spine with a butter knife.

Cook

Whole, dusted in flour, pan-fried in foaming butter, about four minutes a side, basting at the end until the skin crackles.

Season

Late Spring through Summer.

Best pairings

Brown butter · Lemon · Toasted almonds · Capers · New potatoes · Fresh parsley

Also worth trying: bacon, cornmeal, watercress, peas, chives, crème fraîche, hazelnuts.

Recommended wine