Last weekend, my dad was in town for a visit. About an hour after his plane touched down, and on the recommendation of several friends, we went fishing for redfish, trout and whatever else would bite with guide and longtime Charlestonian Peter Brown. Though the redfishing was really good, the speckled trout ended up the highlight.

Speckled, or sea trout, are among of the lowcountry’s most succulent, tasty fish. This time of year they’re found inshore, mostly in shallow waters feeding on crustaceans, shrimp and small fish. After a solid afternoon of catching redfish (but none in the right size window for keeping), Peter put us on the speckled trout.

My first cast with a wiggling live shrimp quickly lured a three-foot bonnethead shark from the grass. The shark aggressively circled the shrimp, then took it. With a little luck I eventually brought him in and let him go — fun fight and a good picture, but not what we were after.

After a few more casts (and several smaller fish), I finally brought in a sea trout big enough to keep. We put the spotted iridescent beauty in the livewell to keep him fresh, then headed back to the dock where we cleaned, scaled and otherwise left the trout whole. We packed it ice, and headed home for dinner.

How to cook it? I wanted to treat it simply so I wouldn’t overpower its subtle, white, delicate shrimp and crustacean-infused flesh. So, I turned to one of my favorite methods for keeping fish moist and preserving every bit of its flavor — cooking in parchment.

First, I combined a tablespoon of olive oil, a handful each of fresh basil and cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper in a mortar and pestle. I pounded the mixture to a coarse paste, scored the trout to the bone several times on each side, then rubbed the mixture all over the fish, inside and out.

Next, I pulled off a big piece of parchment paper and put the trout right in the middle. I folded the paper over the fish to make an enclosure, then crimped the edges tightly all the way around to form a seal. I put the parchment on a baking dish, and baked it for 25 minutes in a 350F oven.

The aroma of fresh, steaming, just-caught sea trout was intoxicating. Gently pulled off the bone with a fork, and eaten only with some crusty bread dipped in the fish’s own olive-oil and herb-infused broth, it was the best trout I’ve ever had.

Posted by brys in personal, seasonal cooking | | Subscribe to this feed