Trout Three Ways with Orzo and Brussel Sprout-Carrot Hash

Trout is cheap (ours was $5/lb at Andronico's) and super easy to cook. It'll take on any flavor you want, and the bones are so small that even if you leave them in, they won't bother you. You can also buy pre-boned trout, or trout fillets. I think the whole fish is more flavorful, and the heads make a great fish stock, or fumet.

The trout was already gutted and scaled; we just stuffed it with some basic ingredients, wrapped each fish individually in parchment paper, and baked it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

The trouts:

1. dark soy sauce; chili-garlic sauce; fresh ginger
2. salt & pepper; dried marjoram; olive oil; fresh thyme
3. salt & pepper; cayenne pepper; cajun spice; dried oregano; olive oil; fresh rosemary

For the orzo, just cook it like pasta, and mix in some butter, parmesan, and pepper.

For the brussel sprout hash:


Slice the bottoms off the sprouts. Cut each sprout in half, and then in slices, lengthwise (so the "stem" part holds the leaves together). Toss in a bowl with lemon juice to keep from discoloring. Julienne 2 carrots and mix with the sprouts. Heat butter and olive oil in skillet and, when butter melts and foaming subsides, add brussel sprouts, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until sprouts are tender and start to brown. Serve with lemon wedges.