Trout or Salmon Omelet

trout omelet recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

This is one of the few fish recipes where I break my “no cheese with fish” rule, which is mainly a Mediterranean thing anyway — this recipe is very Northern European. I got the inspiration for it by reading Wild at the Table by S.G.B. Tennant Jr., an excellent wild game cookery book.

Actually this is an intensely North American recipe, as it is designed for steelhead, a kind of rainbow trout that swims into the ocean for a time, like a salmon. Any trout or salmon will work in this omelet, however.

Ideally, this is made with the scraps left over from the carcass of a whole salmon or large trout; steelhead run between 4-15 pounds on average. I grill the heads and bones of the salmon and steelhead I catch, then flake off the meat and use it in salads — or this omelet.

It is scandalously easy to make, and looks pretty served in individual ramekins. It makes an impressive first course or Sunday breakfast.

[yield]Serves 4. [/yield]

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 cups flaked, cooked steelhead or salmon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 minced green onion
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • About 1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
  • Butter to grease the ramekins
  • 1 lemon

[instructions]

  1. Grease the ramekins with the butter and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat them. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, onion and cream and mix well.
  3. Put a healthy serving of flaked steelhead or salmon in each ramekin. Pour the egg-cream mixture over the fish, dividing equally.
  4. Top with the grated cheese and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a wedge of lemon, to squeeze over the omelet at service.

[/instructions]

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