In Alsace, everything has a frame: timbered houses with painted shutters, tidy rows of vines on the slopes, and even lunch — neatly served, unfussy, and perfect. Truite aux amandes is one such lunch. It arrives glistening in browned butter, flaked with almonds, and smells like a picnic near a fast-flowing brook.

 

This dish was once a Sunday ritual — the fish caught early by hand or net, then cleaned in cold water and cooked within the hour. We first had it in the little village of Riquewihr, where the innkeeper’s daughter carried it out barefoot, the almonds still sizzling from the pan. The trout was whole, head-on, tail curling, bones soft enough to whisper through. We didn’t speak for minutes. Just bread, butter, and the clean, delicate flavor of the stream.

 

🐟 The Recipe: Truite aux Amandes

 

Serves 2

Time: 25 minutes

 

Ingredients

 

• 2 whole trout (about 300–350 g / 11–12 oz each), cleaned and gutted

• 50 g (1.75 oz / ½ cup) sliced almonds

• 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter

• Juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve

• 2 tbsp flour, for dusting

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Optional: splash of dry white wine

• Neutral oil for frying

 

 

Method

 

Rinse the trout and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly season inside and out with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, shaking off the excess.

 

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil with a small knob of butter over medium-high heat. Add the trout and cook for about 4–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the skin is crisp and golden and the flesh flakes easily.

 

Remove the trout and keep warm. Wipe the pan, then melt the remaining butter until it foams and begins to turn golden. Add the almonds and cook gently until toasted and fragrant. Deglaze with a squeeze of lemon juice — or a splash of white wine if you like.

 

Spoon the almond butter over the trout, scatter with parsley, and serve immediately — with boiled potatoes or a little buttered spätzle if you’re feeling extra Alsatian.

 

🍷 Wine Pairing

 

The classic companion here is a chilled glass of Alsace Riesling — dry, mineral, and citrus-laced, cutting beautifully through the richness of the butter.

 

Or if you prefer something softer, a Pinot Blanc from Eguisheim will echo the dish’s clean, nutty notes without a single clash.

 

🌿 A Note from the Table

 

Truite aux amandes is quiet cuisine — no fireworks, no flambé, no fuss. Just the taste of cold rivers, honest butter, and a region that doesn’t need to shout to seduce you.

 

And if you’re ever cycling through the vineyards near Obernai, and you pass a small brasserie with linen on the tables and bicycles leaned against the wall — stop. Ask for the trout. Watch the waiter smile like he’s been waiting for you.