Italialicious

Trout is a much appreciated fish in northern Italy. In fact, trout is the most consumed freshwater fish in the north of Italy. And because trout prefers cool waters, it is mostly farmed in the Po Valley or Pianura Padana in Italian, which is the valley of the Po river, from Piemonte and the western Italian Alps to Veneto and Friuli right on the Adriatic shore. Trout is a fish closely related to salmon (salmon prefers salt water though). Actually, I prefer trout over salmon because I think it has more flavor. Although I do think that salmon is more versatile just because its flavor is more subtle. A perfect way to enjoy trout is by grilling it. You can grill the whole fish, or just trout fillets which are more convenient.

Brush the trout fillets with olive oil. Add some salt and pepper and grill over medium heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, extract the juice of 1 lemon and mix it with the chopped herbs. Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil and the minced garlic. When the fish is ready, serve it with the herbs and lemon juice mixture on top.

In Italian we call trota salmonata (salmon-like trout) the trout that have been nourished to get flesh that has a salmon pink color.

The trout that we usually eat was introduced to Italy from North America around 1880. Around the same time, trout was also introduced to the coolest parts of the southern hemisphere: New Zealand, some parts of Australia, southern Chile and southern Argentina. One of the best trout I’ve ever had was in the restaurant of the Chilean-German Club Zur Wassermühle in the Chilean Lake District.