Crawfish-Stuffed Turban of Speckled Trout

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Stuffing seafood and meats with other seafood, meats and vegetables is a technique that evolved, quite likely, because home cooks needed another way to use the bounty of our waters and woods. Stuffing trout with crawfish tails or crabmeat and Louisiana’s trinity of seasoning vegetables adds a new level of Cajun flair and flavor to the finished dish.

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

6 (5–7 ounce) speckled trout fillets

1 pound crawfish tails

OR 1 pound white or claw crabmeat

1½ cups melted butter, divided

1 cup diced onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced green bell peppers

½ cup diced red bell peppers

¼ cup minced garlic

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Granulated garlic to taste

2 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs

Paprika to taste

Louisiana hot sauce to taste

1 cup fish stock

1 cup white wine

¼ cup chopped parsley

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse trout fillets well under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat ¾ cup melted butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and minced garlic and sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add crawfish and blend well into the vegetable mixture. Continue to cook until juices are rendered from vegetables and seafood. Season to taste using salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Remove from heat and sprinkle in bread crumbs, a little at a time, until proper consistency is achieved. Stuffing should not be too dry. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Place an equal amount of stuffing on each trout fillet. Roll fillets into a turban shape and secure them with toothpicks. Season fish to taste with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, paprika and hot sauce. Place in a large baking pan with 1-inch lip then add stock and wine. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove fish fillets from the oven and transfer to a warm serving platter. Top with remaining melted butter, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2023 WAFB. All rights reserved.