Recipe inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
A journey through the wintery land of Narnia isn’t complete without a stop at the charming abode of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver where freshly caught pan fried trout with shallots and lemon butter, boiled potatoes, and bread and butter are served up fresh and hot.
In C.S. Lewis’ novel The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, shortly after arriving in Narnia, the four Pevensie children are taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. The feast that Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are fed includes fresh fried trout, boiled potatoes, sliced bread, and butter. Freshly caught trout sizzling in a cast iron pan with plenty of butter truly is a special treat. Buttery fried shallots and a tangy lemon butter sauce is the perfect accent to these crispy pan-fried trout!
"The potatoes are on boiling and the kettle's singing and I daresay, Mr. Beaver, you'll get us some fish."
"That I will," said Mr. Beaver, and he went out of the house...
Mr. Beaver sat down quietly at the edge of the hole...looked hard into it, then suddenly shot in his paw, and before you could say Jack Robinson had whisked out a beautiful trout. Then he did it all over again until they had a fine catch of fish."
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Beaver
By the time the four Pevensie siblings arrive at the Mr. Beaver’s house they are well famished. Mrs. Beaver immediately sets to work creating a delicious and filling supper for the children. She sets out sliced bread with “deep yellow butter” along with the boiled potatoes and Mr. Beaver’s freshly caught trout. All this is washed down with tall glasses of creamy milk before settling in to hear news of Lucy’s beloved friend Mr. Tumnus.
Just as the frying-pan was nicely hissing Peter and Mr. Beaver came in with the fish...You can think how good the new-caught fish smelled while they were frying and how the hungry children longed for them to be done."
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Ingredient Notes
Trout: I like using small, whole trout for this recipe. Ideally you would want to use freshly caught trout. However, unless you can fish or know someone who does, this likely won’t be possible. Whole trout is often available seasonally from a well-stocked grocer or fish monger. If you can’t source whole trout, then you can use trout fillets. You won’t be able to stuff them but they will still be delicious pan fried with the lemon butter sauce. Lightly flour the skin side only before frying.
Shallots: Sliced shallots are both stuffed into each trout and fried in the pan to serve alongside the trout. You can substitute with yellow or white onions instead.
Butter: There is no better way to prepare fresh fish than in a sizzling pan of butter!
Lemons: Fresh lemon juice is blended with butter to make a simple pan sauce for these crispy fried trout.
Potatoes: Mrs. Beaver serves the Pevensie children fried fish with a side of boiled potatoes. For boiled potatoes, I like to use a yellow flesh potato such as Yukon Golds. Boil them whole and with the peel on. The peel can be removed after cooking and will help to keep the potato from falling apart in the water as it cooks.
How to Make Pan-Fried Trout with Shallots and Lemon Butter
Prepare the trout
Rinse the trout and pat dry. Thinly slice a lemon and the shallots. Sprinkle the inside of each trout with kosher salt and pepper. Stuff each trout with thin slices of lemon and shallot and a few sprigs of parsley. Tie the trout in two places with twine to keep the filling inside.
Add the flour to a shallow dish. Lightly dredge each trout in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and set aside.
Pan-fry the trout
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and two tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted and is sizzling add the trout to the pan.
Allow the trout to fry slowly on one side until the skin is well browned and crispy, about 4 to 6 minutes. Then carefully flip the trout over onto the other side.
Push the trout to one side of the pan if possible. Add in the sliced shallots and allow to fry while the trout finishes cooking. Toss the shallots occasionally so they brown evenly.
The trout is done when both sides are well browned and crispy and the fish has an internal temperature over 165 deg F. Transfer the cooked trout to a platter and make the lemon butter sauce.
Make the lemon butter sauce
After removing the cooked trout, lay the remaining lemon slices in the cast iron skillet. Let cook until browned and softened.
To make the sauce, add the remaining butter to the pan and allow to melt. Toss with the fried shallots and lemon slices. Add the juice of one lemon to the pan and stir to combine with the butter. Season with a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper.
Serve the pan-fried trout with shallots and lemon butter
To serve the trout you can either return the fish to the skillet or leave on the serving platter and pour the sauce along with the shallots and lemon slices over the fish. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with a side of boiled potatoes if desired and enjoy!
