This is essentially a chunky morel sauce with simply seared trout. If you think of it that way it doesn't seem so esoteric. I used a larger trout for this recipe, but any trout will do. I prefer to leave the skin on because it gets über-crispy with this cooking method, but remove the skin if you must. It's important to have fresh mushrooms for this dish, so if you can't find or afford morels, use some other mushroom; maybe shiitake. As for ramps and fiddleheads, they are in markets (and forests) right now.
1 1/2to 2 pounds trout fillets(or 1 small trout per person)
1/4cupunsalted butter,divided
1poundfresh morels,sliced into rings
1/2poundramps or other wild onions,or scallions
3garlic cloves,minced
1cupchicken stock
2to 3 tablespoons sour cream
1cupsorrel,cut into a chiffonade (optional)
Black pepper
Violets,for garnish (optional)
Instructions
You'll need to blanch the fiddleheads first. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Get a bowl of ice water ready. Boil the fiddleheads for 2 minutes, then shock them in the ice water. If you are using bracken fiddleheads you will need to leave them in the ice water for 1 hour. Regular fiddleheads you can remove as soon as they are cold.
Take the trout out of the fridge and salt it lightly. Let it rest on the counter while you make the morel sauce.
Put the morels and the white parts of the onions into a large saute pan. Turn the heat to high until everything begins to sizzle, then turn the heat down to medium-high. Soon the morels will release a lot of water. Sprinkle salt over everything now.
When the liquid has almost boiled away, add 2 tablespoons of butter and shake the pan to coat everything. Let the morels and onions brown a little, then add the garlic. Let this cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil this down by half and turn off the heat.
To cook the fish, get another saute pan hot and add the remaining butter. Wipe the skin side of the fish with a paper towel to dry it. Once the butter is hot, lay the trout into the pan, skin side down. Turn the heat down to medium-high for a skinny fillet, and down to medium-low for a very thick piece of lake trout or chinook salmon.
Let the trout cook for 2 minutes -- you may need to press down on it with a spatula to ensure even contact between the skin and pan. After two minutes, use a large spoon to start basting the meat side of the trout with the butter. Baste a dozen times or so and leave it alone. Then baste again a dozen more times. If you do this a third time, your fish will be totally cooked through, but I stick to twice so the fish is just barely cooked in the center. Move the trout to individual plates.
To finish the dish, turn the heat to high on the morels. When the stock boils, add the fiddleheads and the green parts of the onions and the sorrel, if using. Cover the pan and turn the heat to medium. Let the greens wilt. Uncover the pan and stir well. Turn off the heat. When the sauce stops bubbling, stir in the sour cream and pour next to the trout.