I like to eat brook trout, which genus-wise is a charr, not a trout. Rainbows and browns are okay, but I prefer brookies and my own simple recipe, which is first on the list. The rest of these recipes I’ve collected haphazardly from here and there over many, many years, and in most cases I did not think enough to capture the source. However, as time goes on I’ll look back through my files to see if I can correctly attribute sources of recipes. Meanwhile, enjoy. As I go through the files, I’ll add more recipes.

All recipes herein may use store-bought rainbows, or freshly caught brown, rainbow or brook trout. (I’ve never seen brown trout or brookies for sale in the IGA.) If you harvest your trout from a stream, please release all fish over 12 inches. At this size, trout are becoming prime breeders and we need them to assure stocks of wild trout in our rivers. Brook trout in northern streams tend to be small with keeper limits at 7-8 inches. If you plan to use one of the recipes to follow for brook trout, try to keep only 9-11 inch fish for the meal. Bear in mind that the daily limit in Michigan is 5 trout and so is the possession limit. Which means you can’t catch five a day and hoard them in your freezer. The good part of this is that to make a real meal you’ll need two people, each contributing three brookies to the repast. The best part of a trout meal, I think, is the catching and having your pals sit back while you show them ways to cook and prepare trout they never dreamed possible.

Some years back when the daily limit was 10 fish each, my brother-in-law Mike Phillips (of Marquette) and pal Reg Bernard (Ft. Wayne) all caught our limits and those 30 fish, almost all at the 7-8 inch keeper size were barely an appetizer for us. 9-11-inch fish are about the right size. But you’d better plan other stuff with the meal….

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  • Grady Service’s Yooper Brook Trout Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Pecan-crusted Trout with Orange-Rosemary Butter Sauce Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Broiled Trout with Parmesan Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Stuffed Trout Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Basic Grilled /Pan-Fried Trout Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Trout with Red Bell Pepper, Onions and Vinegar Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Grilled Trout with Lemon-Herb Sauce Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Trout Santa Fe with Shrimp and Chile Sauce Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Trout Topped With Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Shiitakes and Broccoli Rabe Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Smoked Trout in Caramelized Apple and Onion Broth Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Hot & Fragrant Trout Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Trout With Tamarind & Chile Sauce Monday, February 11, 2008