Stubby Steve's Trout Patties
- 1 stick butter
- 1-2 onions, chopped finely (some people like a lot of onions)
- 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper (I like to use red or orange for beautiful color)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (use more if you like or leave out if you like)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I usually almost double)
- *** I usually forget to add this but it is worth mentioning.......1/2 cup chopped country ham (cooked and chopped finely).... this adds a salty flavor so add salt AFTER you add this and taste it first! I usually don't have this on hand to add and it's great without it.
- 2 - 3 trout (I know the size varies.... this recipe is for fairly good-sized trout, half the ingredients if you have smaller or lesser number of fish)
- 2 Tb flour
- 2 cups water (or chicken broth might even add more flavor)
- *** 4 Tb Pesto sauce (we added this one day on a whim and it gave the patties such an amazing flavor! I don't know if everyone will like it so maybe do this step when you make them again..... we LOVE pesto sauce but I don't know if others will like it in the patties or not), we used ~ 4 TB or so. Note: Pesto sauce is found with the spaghetti sauce at your grocery store. (Or I can give you my awesome homemade Pesto sauce recipe to try!!!)
- 40 "Club Crackers" (*trust me, the "Club" Keebler brand crackers add so much flavor!!! Use regular saltines if you have to but please make a point to try this recipe at least once with these crackers!!!)
- 2 cups dried bread crumbs
- 2 Tb Emeril's Rustic Rub or your favorite Cajun seasoning (this is for more heat, you could just use regular Italian seasoned bread crumbs if you want to)
- olive oil or Pam spray
Directions:
- Chop all veggies finely (you don't want large chunks of celery taking away from the flavor of that rainbow you just caught)!
- In a large skillet, melt butter and saute' veggies (onion, bell pepper, and celery) until tender. Add the 1 tsp or more of cayenne pepper, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add the country ham if you decided to use it (try making a batch without it first).
- In a bowl, dissolve the 2 Tb flour in the 2 cups water and add to skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Crush the "Club Crackers" and add gradually to the veggie/trout mixture. You may have to use more or less... as you go, try to form into patties and see if it's to "wet," add more crackers if you need to.
- To the bread crumbs, add Emeril's Rustic Rub or your favorite seasoning. Form patties of your desired size (baby patties make wonderful appetizers).
- Heat another skillet on medium heat and spray with pam or use olive oil to coat the bottom. While skillet warms, completely cover patties in the seasoned bread crumbs.
- Pan fry the patties several at a time, on each side, until they are browned to your liking. We like them a little "crunchy" on the outside so we saute' them longer than most people might. Drain on a paper towels.
- Enjoy!!! These are a treat for us and completely worth all the effort!
Will someone make these into "hushpuppy"-sized balls and deep fry them? Please tell me how they taste! I just can't imagine! I wonder what a cornbread coating would taste like? Experiment and let us know what you come up with!