Oven-Roasted Carrots + Stovetop Seared Steelhead with Lemon–Caper Leeks
A bright, cozy winter seafood dinner without pasta: sear-cooked steelhead trout with a warm pan sauce of caramelized leeks, lemon, and capers, plus roasted carrots on the side. Very PNW, but distinct from your recent salmon/cod + dill/mustard meals.
Back to full listIngredients
- Fresh Steelhead Trout Fillet 1 lb (2 portions) $11.99 (1 lb)
- Organic Leeks 1 medium leek, thinly sliced $3.99/lb
- Simple Truth Organic® Whole Carrots Bag (or baby carrots) 10–12 oz carrots, cut into sticks $2.99 (2 lb) or $1.99 (1 lb baby)
- Organic Garlic Bulbs 2 cloves, minced $1.99 (3 ct)
- Lemon (pantry) 1 (zest + 2 Tbsp juice)
- Capers (pantry) 1 1/2 Tbsp, drained (optional but recommended)
- Olive oil (pantry) 2 Tbsp (divided)
- Butter (pantry) 1 Tbsp
- Dry white wine or broth (pantry) 1/4 cup
- Salt + black pepper (pantry) To taste
Instructions
- Roast the carrots (oven): heat oven to 425°F. Toss 10–12 oz carrots with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast 18–22 minutes, flipping once, until browned and tender.
- Prep trout: pat dry 1 lb steelhead; cut into 2 portions. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Zest and juice 1 lemon.
- Sear trout (stove): heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Place trout skin-side down (if skin-on) and cook 4–5 minutes until crisp and mostly cooked through. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Leek-caper pan sauce: lower heat to medium. Add 1 Tbsp butter to the same skillet. Add sliced leek with a pinch of salt; cook 5–7 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Stir in garlic 30 seconds.
- Deglaze + finish: add 1/4 cup wine/broth; simmer 1–2 minutes. Stir in capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste and adjust salt/pepper.
- Serve: spoon warm leek-caper sauce over trout and serve with roasted carrots.
Health notes: ~620 calories per serving (estimate). High omega-3s (trout) and lots of veg. For lighter: reduce butter to 1 tsp and add more carrots/spinach.
Drink pairing: Wine: dry Riesling or Pinot Gris (citrus-forward) works great with lemon + capers. Beer: a crisp pilsner. Non-alc: sparkling water with lemon + a splash of apple cider.