Almond Crusted Trout with Blackened Crawfish and Roasted Red Pepper Butter

Um, yeah. The title says it all. YUM! Another find from the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook, and it's a keeper. I halved this recipe, but next time I will make the full red pepper butter because it will be great on sandwiches too and will add more butter when i mix in the crawfish tails to make more of a sauce to pour over the fish.

for the roasted red pepper butter:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp diced roasted red bell pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp roasted garlic puree

Combine in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to prepare crawfish. This can easily be made in advance.

for the garlic puree:

Simmer 12-14 garlic cloves in 1 cup olive oil for about 20 minutes over medium heat. It should be golden brown. Strain the oil, reserve the garlic. Puree the garlic in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste. Refrigerate for up to two weeks (or freeze for up to 3 months). Save the olive oil and use it as a cooking base or for salad dressings.

Blackening spice:

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp powdered onion

1 tsp powdered garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Combine all ingredients. Great for fish and chicken!

For the fish:

1 cup blanched almonds

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless trout fillets (I had to remove the skin)

1/4 cup canola oil

8 oz crawfish tail meat (I had to buy the actual crawfish and pull out the tail meat)

2 Tbsp blackening spice (recipe above)

Combine the almonds, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until fine. Dredge the trout in almond mixture. Heat the canola oil in a heavy sauté pan over high heat. Put the trout in the hot oil and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until fish is golden brown and flaky.

Melt the roasted red pepper butter in a separate saute pan and melt over medium high heat. Coat the crawfish in the blackening spice and place in the melted butter, cooking the meat for 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Place each piece of fish on a plate and top with crawfish butter.

We had this with sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes.