Trout (Tilapia) with (Blood) Oranges

Friday January 11

We last had this almost a year ago, and it's always a nice thing to do if you can get blood oranges, which add great color to the dish.

The brown and tattered recipe we based it on came from the New York Times Living section sometime between 1990 and 1993 (we know because the reverse side cites Mayor David Dinkins' office for the fact that there are 178 ethnic groups in Queens). Ironically, it doesn't use either tilapia or blood oranges. Oh, and we don't dip it in flour, either. Otherwise, exactly as handed down by the ancestors. Nonetheless excellent. So we thought we'd post it in its original form:

2 trout, about 1/2 lb. each, butterflied (bones, heads, tails removed)
2 Tbsps. milk
1/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
1 Tbsp. oil
12 orange sections with membranes removed
1 Tbsp. chopped shallots
leaves from 2 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon vodka
1 Tbsp. butter
chopped parsley or more thyme leaves for garnish

Place trout in large pan and pour in milk (thank you, Henry David Thoreau); flip about so all parts are covered. In a separate dish, season flour with salt and pepper to taste; dredge milky trout in flour, and shake to remove excess.

Heat oil in large nonstick pan over high heat. Put trout in flat side down, and brown for about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another two minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and keep warm.

Add orange sections, shallots, and lemon thyme and warm briefly without browning. Stir in lemon juice, vodka, and butter, blending well.

Serve trout napped with sauce and garnished with parsley or thyme leaves.