Get ready for summer with pesto trout and stewed okra and tomatoes
They’re here! Tomatoes, the quintessential summer Southern crop are in season and hitting the markets in earnest. With them come sandwiches, cool slices on the side of your plate, and all the sauces you can imagine.
It is good to have an array of recipes ready to go to put these beauties to good use.
One classic recipe is okra and tomatoes. It is a good way to use two Southern crops in large amounts without much effort. Throw them in a pot with some onion and salt and you have a main or side dish that you won’t be able to get enough of. They make the base of many good stews as well.
Here, I’ve made them to accompany a pan-fried, Parmesan-crusted trout. The acidity and brightness of the tomatoes pair well with the flaky fish and salty crust. I topped the fish with a fresh pesto using another abundant summer crop: basil. If you plant basil this summer, you’ll need to have a good pesto recipe on standby because it will grow prodigiously.
Put it all together and you have the perfect welcome to summer and tastes you’ll want to return to each year.
Alex and Eleta Morrison live in Macon and write a food blog, Bungalow Kitchen. Contact them at bungalowkitchenmacon@gmail.com.
Okra and Tomatoes
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
1 pound okra, diced
4 heirloom tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper to taste
Heat a deep sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and saute about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add the okra and stir about 1 minute. Cover with tomatoes and cover pan. Cook 10 minutes. Stir, reduce heat to low and add garlic. Continue to cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Parmesan-Crusted Trout
2 filets trout, skin on
1 egg
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pesto, to serve (recipe follows)
Check trout for any pinbones and remove. Beat egg with fork. Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and garlic. Coat the filets with the beaten egg and dredge in the crumb mixture until fully coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Cook trout 3 minutes per side.
Drizzle the pesto over the trout to serve.
Pesto
1 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
½ cup olive oil
Combine basil, cheese, pine nuts and garlic in food processor. Begin to process and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture begins to emulsify, about 3 minutes.
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Get ready for summer with pesto trout and stewed okra and tomatoes."