When someone suggested we use the rainbow trout from our latest fishing trip for a breakfast meal, I was less than thrilled. I am not a fan of fish for breakfast. I know, I know, there is lox and cream cheese bagels, which is okay in my book, but I still prefer them more for brunch or later. I just have a problem with fish for breakfast. But I pushed aside my perceived notion that fish was for dinner, put on my fish thinking cap, and am proud to share this recipe for Trout Eggs Benedict with a Dill Béarnaise.
Why the Benedict
A traditional eggs benedict, first concocted in New York City, is composed of a toasted English muffin topped with ham or Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and a hollandaise sauce. The dish can spread in every direction from there. The ham can be switched out for steak, fish, or even chicken. The muffin can be switched to sourdough, white bread, wheat bread, rye bread, or whatever kind of bread base your heart desires. The sauce can be whipped up into a béarnaise or béchamel even. You can add different herbs and spices, even play with the heat level. The possibilities are endless.
Looking for the perfect breakfast for dinner meal? (I think you know the answer now) Make eggs benedict! You can dress up eggs benedict to cover any meal of the day. Switch up the vegetables or protein and the entire dish changes. I even have a different twist on the benedict on the blog already: Deer Steak Eggs Benedict with Tarragon Béarnaise Sauce.
Wanting a lazy weekend morning with comfort food? Make eggs benedict! The rich and savory flavors of the benedict classify it as textbook comfort food, but it is so easy to make that it is also textbook lazy morning food.
I find eggs benedict to be one of the most diverse meals a person can make. Trying to impress your friends but not really much of a chef? Make eggs benedict! Everyone will be in awe of your homemade béarnaise sauce, but you will be amazed at how easy and quick you can throw it together.
Trout Eggs Benedict Recipe
For my lazy Saturday morning, but still keeping things a classic, eggs benedict, I decided to use trout for the protein base. I have seen eggs benedict made with smoked salmon before, and I have even tasted it with Wahoo fish in Hawaii (which is amazing if you get the chance), but I have not seen or had a trout eggs benedict. I can tell you after eating this meal that trout eggs benedict should become a thing in your daily life. The trout is light and flaky, adding the perfect texture and flavor to the dish.
For this recipe, I start the trout first, since it takes about fifteen minutes to cook. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, or you can turn your outdoor grill on high heat. Season the trout with salt and pepper. I leave the trout on the bone for this and remove the meat once it is finished cooking, which is a little easier than trying to remove the filets from the bone first, but do whatever is easiest for you. When thinking about how much fish per egg benedict to make, I usually do half a filet per serving. Using a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the fish, add a tablespoon of butter on top of the fish and tent the foil around the fish creating a small packet. Make sure to seal all the edges so you won’t lose any moisture during cooking. Cook the packets for about 15 minutes. When finished, the fish should flake easily off the bone.
Things are getting close for finishing up this trout eggs benedict! After cooking the fish and preparing the béarnaise, it is time to poach the eggs. There are lots of different techniques for poaching eggs, but I find this to be the easiest one for me. (I learned it watching a Ree Drummond cooking show. Click here to see how she pulls together a quick and easy eggs benedict.) Bring a large pot of water, about six cups, to a gentle boil. I have my egg cracked and ready to go in a small bowl for the next step. Use a large wooden spoon to create a whirlpool with the boiling water. Once the water is moving at a fairly decent speed in the pot, careful lay the broken egg into the water. You can add several eggs to cook at one time, I usually can get in about three before the water stops spinning. Allow eggs to cook in the boiling water for about two and a half minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.
For the béarnaise sauce, melt two sticks of unsalted butter, or one cup, and let it cool just slightly. You want it warm so it will emulsify the eggs in the sauce, but you don’t want it so hot that it actually scrambles the eggs. Add three eggs yolks and the white wine vinegar to a blender. To the blender on a medium speed, and once the yolks are broken up a bit, slowly drizzle the warm butter into the running blender. Allow the butter and yolks to continue mixing and working together in the blender until the sauce starts to thicken, about one minute. Once the sauce is thick, add in a tablespoon of fresh dill and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Blend the sauce for a minute more, and then leave covered so the
béarnaise will stay warm while you make the rest of the trout eggs benedict.
For this trout eggs benedict, I like to add asparagus. It is a great opportunity to heat up the asparagus while the trout pouches are cooking. You will want to trim the asparagus before cooking. About the bottom third of the vegetable is very tough and has a woody texture. Trim this part off. Drizzle the asparagus with a little olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and in the oven for about fifteen minutes. The fish is already at 400 degrees, and this temperature will also work for the asparagus. They should still be crunchy and firm when ready.
It is time to assemble the trout eggs benedict! Butter a lightly toasted piece of sour dough bread. Lay a few pieces of asparagus on the bread, add a serving of the trout, and finally balance a poached egg on top of the stack. Drizzle everything with a healthy serving of the dill béarnaise sauce, garnish with a little dill, and dig in!
Happy Fishing!
Trout Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
- 2 Trout Fish - Skinned and Still on Bone
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 1 Bunch Asparagus
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Slices Sourdough Bread
- 1 Cup Melted Butter
- 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Minced
- 1 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Salt and pepper the two trout, which are skinned but still on the bone.
- Place a few thin slices of butter on the trout, about a tablespoon per trout.
- Wrap each trout in a foil packet, taking care to seal all corners so the steam cannot escape during cooking.
- Place the trout packets on a baking sheet.
- To the baking sheet, also add the asparagus. Rub the asparagus with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place entire baking sheet in oven. Asparagus and trout packets bake for about fifteen minutes.
- Asparagus should be tender to the bite and still a bit crunchy.
- Melt the two sticks of butter and let cool slightly. You don't want the butter bubbling hot, but you want it to still be warm.
- Place the egg yolks in a blender and pulse a few times to break them up.
- With the blender running, add the white wine vinegar and mix for a few seconds.
- With the blender running, slowly stream in the warm butter. Once all the butter is added, continue to blend for a minute.
- Add the fresh dill, paprika, and salt and pepper. Blend for another minute. Keep the sauce warm with the lid on the blender.
- In a large pot, bring to a light boil about three cups of water.
- Once the pot is gently boiling, use a large spoon to create a whirlpool in the water. With the water spinning, drop the cracked eggs, one at a time, into the pot.
- Allow the eggs to cook for two to two and half minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon
- Brush the sour dough bread slices lightly with olive oil or butter and toast on a griddle until golden brown.
- Place a few asparagus spears on the toasted bread.
- Pile on a serving of cooked trout.
- Gently rest the poached egg to the stack.
- Cover generously with dill and paprika béarnaise sauce.
- Enjoy!