Bacon-Wrapped Trout

This was a great weeknight meal that looks impressive enough for company. The fillets are very thin, so our fish monger said to leave the skin on. Don't be afraid of it though, you can barely tell the skin is there after cooking. It either slides right off or you can eat it.

Adapted from Food&Wine 2003 Annual Cookbook.


Serves 4.

Ingredients
16 strips of nitrate-free bacon
4 trout fillets (the whole fish, minus the head), cut lengthwise into 8 fillets
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees and insert 4 oven-proof dinner plates.
2. Season each fillet with pepper and wrap with 2 slices of bacon, securing each with a toothpick. If the bacon is too long, just trim it off and reserve for another use.
3. Heat a large cast iron or regular skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place 2 to 3 fillets, flesh side down and cook until bacon is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Flip the fish and cook an additional 3 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. 
5. Carefully transfer the cooked fish to the warm plates and continue cooking the raw fish, in batches, until done.
6. Transfer to plates and serve with grilled asparagus or your favorite veggie side dish. Don't forget to use your oven mitts to transfer the plates to the table--they're hot!