Avocado

Trout Kabayaki with Avocado

by:
October  4, 2022
4
5 Ratings
Trout Kabayaki with Avocado
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Recently, Grace Parisi had a recipe for trout that is glazed with the sticky-sweet sauce typically served with unagi (eel). We eat unagi on rice with avocado quite a bit, and I was really intrigued by the idea of using trout, which is so easy to find in Colorado. We tried Parisi's recipe with a few modifications, and I was surprised at how eel-y the trout turned out. This dish is quick, cheap, and satisfying. We used a green vegetable of some form -- at the time, we had sugarsnaps, but we'd usually do a sesame kale or spinach. —savorthis

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Savorthis has a website with the tagline “Eat what I want.” And we also want to eat what savorthis wants.
WHAT: Trout disguises itself as eel and chooses avocado as its worthy sidekick.
HOW: While the vegetables are quick-pickling, blend together a thick sauce of sautéed shallots, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Use that to glaze trout fillets as they broil, and then serve the fish on a pile of rice and top it with spicy avocado-mayonnaise, tangy pickles, and greens for good measure.
WHY WE LOVE IT: When we can’t get our hands on high-quality eel (which is most of the time), we now have the option of turning to broiled trout, instead. Avoid boring plain fish fillets by using Japanese-inspired flavors (and a non-Japanese avocado topping) as the source of new excitement. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the trout:
  • 1 medium shallot, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 trout fillets
  • For the accoutrements:
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sambal (hot chili sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 2 carrots, julienned
  • 1 cucumber, julienned
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and julienned
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sweet chili garlic sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • A green side (asparagus, sugarsnap peas, kale, spinach), cooked quickly in oil with garlic
Directions
  1. Start with the accoutrements: Mix together the vinegar, sambal, sugar, salt, and pepper until dissolved. Add the carrots, cucumber, and jalapeño, then toss and set aside. (This can be done a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge.)
  2. Preheat broiler. While it heats, cook the shallots over medium-low heat in a pan with a bit of oil until they're medium brown. Add the ginger and cook for few minutes, then add the soy, mirin, and sugar and simmer on low for about 12 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. Be careful not to burn it. Cool the sauce and blend it using an immersion blender (or transfer the sauce to a blender). Set aside.
  3. Broil trout skin side-up for a couple of minutes, then remove the skin. Slather the sauce on the trout and broil the fish for a couple additional minutes, slathering twice more as it cooks. Gently flip the fillets and cook them for few more minutes, again slathering twice. Set aside.
  4. Mash avocado and mix with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, soy, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Mound rice on a plate and top with trout, pickled vegetables, your green vegetable of choice, and mashed avocado. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.
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17 Reviews

bakergirl
bakergirl July 21, 2017
Loved this!! Thank you, for the recipe. Can't wait to make it again. Super easy to make.
 
noralink
noralink September 1, 2014
Trout wasn't available, so we made this today with red snapper instead. It was absolutely delicious! We think it'll be great to make again for guests since we found it to be impressively good yet relatively quick.
 
savorthis
savorthis September 2, 2014
So glad you liked it! And I love snapper as well- glad to know it turned out well for you.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 1, 2014
Congrats savorthis! Growing up in the middle of the Pacific I haven't eaten much trout - but look forward to trying this.
 
Pegeen
Pegeen July 31, 2014
This sounds so delicious and combines so many of my favorite ingredients. I hope there's a trout out there with my name on it! Looking forward to trying it.
 
savorthis
savorthis July 31, 2014
Thanks Pegeen. The trout is definitely fun since it really was so similar to the eel but this glaze/combo would be good on other fish too! Let me know if you try it!
 
EmilyC
EmilyC July 31, 2014
Congrats, savorthis -- this looks and sounds delicious!
 
savorthis
savorthis July 31, 2014
Thanks Emily!
 
ChefJune
ChefJune July 31, 2014
Congrats! Looking forward to trying this "eely" trout.
 
savorthis
savorthis July 31, 2014
Thanks ChefJune! I hope you like it.
 
foxeslovelemons
foxeslovelemons July 31, 2014
Congrats, savorthis! I adore any recipe that includes "accoutrements," especially ones like these :)
 
savorthis
savorthis July 31, 2014
Right back at you!
 
BoulderGalinTokyo
BoulderGalinTokyo July 27, 2012
It never occurred to me to try kabayaki sauce on a different type of fish. Your trout sounds like a winner!
 
savorthis
savorthis August 7, 2012
It's really surprising how eel-y it is! I imagine it is good on a variety of fish.
 
arielleclementine
arielleclementine June 20, 2012
what fun! i love eel and am excited to try this eel-y trout of yours! thanks for the recipe :)
 
savorthis
savorthis June 20, 2012
Thanks! I only used to like smoked trout and this is the first method that has excited me enough to make this recipe several times.
 
savorthis
savorthis June 15, 2012
This is really frustrating- half my ingredients disappeared and now I am unable to edit. Until the avocado appears in the list, pay no mind!