Pan Seared Rainbow Trout with Lime Cilantro Cream sauce

I made this dish the other night and my husband went ga-ga for it. I got the inspiration for it from a new cookbook I picked up at the local Borders that's going out of business. I tweaked it a bit by adding a bit more lime juice to it and some half and half to thin the cream sauce a bit and just a pinch of garlic powder. I think without the extra lime juice and garlic powder the dish wouldn't have been half as tasty. The original recipe also called for serving over a bed of fresh Corriander sprouts but that just didn't do the trick for me. My husband would have scoffed at me for putting fresh greenery on his plate so I instead opted for a mushroom rice which was actually quite tasty. You can serve it over plain rice though as I think the cream sauce would hold it's own with the rice.

Ingredients:
8oz Sour Cream
2-3tbsp half and half
zest of 2 small limes
Juice from those limes
1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 tsp of garlic powder

3-4 Large Rainbow Trout (or just trout in general)
2tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

In a blender or food processor combine the zest, lime juice, sour cream, half and half, and cilantro. Be sure to use metal blades and process it for roughly 40seconds (no longer...it may take less time with a good processor or blender). Set the cream in the fridge.

Now you're going to want to cook your Trout. This is fairly easy and doesn't take a super long time. Be sure to buy Trout that still has the skin on it as it helps to keep the fillets in tact. I like to buy about 3-4 larger fillets (about .3-.5lbs a piece) and then cut them in half. This is easy to do. I use a knife to cut the meat and then a pair of kitchen shears to cut the skin. Heat your olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place your fillets skin side down and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper to season. Sear them for only about 3 or 4 minutes. You'll know the side is done when the edges all around are white. Flip the fillets over and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the meat turns a light golden color. I like to then sandwich the fish in between some paper towels to help soak up the excess oil. This is crutial as you don't want a big greasy mess on your plate after you drizzle the cream sauce over the top.

To plate this dish I like to gently peel the skin off of the fish and lay it on a bed of either white or wild rice (wild tastes better for this sort of dish to me). Then gently drizzle your sauce over the top of the fillet and garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.