Let’s start this week talking about food. And what better way to start talking about food by including one of the favorites: Fish. Well, it is not everyone’s favorite, but it could be definitely one of the top choices in many restaurants.
And when speaking about fishes, we got to talk about the trout. Trout are freshwater fish that love to live in cold climates, and they are really appreciated as food for humans and for some animals. One of the best examples of this last statement is brown bears at rivers.
What we love so much about these fish? The flavor! So, let’s explore what does trout taste like? It could be a surprise to you, but maybe their related cousins may give away how good or bad they taste, even with all those bones and spines in the way.
Does trout taste like a salmon?
Let’s begin talking what does trout taste like by discussing about its most closely related sibling, the salmon. You would think that a fish that is so similar to a salmon would taste equally as good (or bad, it depends on your preferences), and you would be like 80 percent right.
So, does trout taste like a salmon? Well, some describe them all around the Internet as a “milder salmon”, which means that they could be somewhat interchangeable. It could be argued that some places could offer you trout as salmon when you are specifically asking for the latter… And you would not even notice! Unless you know, of course.
The way both species of fish differentiate is their habitats. Remember, salmons are those fish that jump from one site to other to breed. They could even go from saltwater to freshwater unlike their little siblings the trout; although some species of trout can behave just like most salmons. This behavior can affect the taste, and those that behave like salmons are the ones that could be used “interchangeable” in a way.
Other way to tell is by the skin and the texture of the meat. This is, after all, an oily fish and so, it has some clear features that are not that similar on salmons. Some can have a flaky and quite whitish skin color (sometimes pinky or orange), while others can be brown and have a stronger fish flavor, compared to the rest.
How does brown trout taste?
Speaking of stronger fish flavored… Fish? We need to talk more about the brown trout. These are one of the most popular species in the world (especially in Europe), even when the taste they have is not as nice for everyone. How does brown trout taste?
When you try to answer what does trout taste like, we need to consider the one that is almost everywhere. Brown trout are originally from Europe’s lakes and rivers, with some species of brown trout going to sea and back, just like salmons.
The “fish with speckled skins”, dating in angling literature for many, many centuries ago is characterized for having a really strong taste of fish, compared to the milder salmon taste that many species of trout have.
This strong taste may catch you by surprise if you are expecting something similar as a salmon taste. For this reason, some chefs prefer to soak overnight the filets they made of this fish, to cut some of that taste.
The brown trout’s best companion is anything with citrus, especially lemon. And you have to remember that the taste they may have is closely related of what is the kind of fish they have been eating.
How does rainbow trout taste?
Now we are talking about the most accessible trout of the bunch. Of course, that honor has to go to the rainbow trout, which is one of (if not the most) popular trout species of the entire world. So, how does rainbow trout taste?
First up on what does trout taste like, the rainbow trout does not taste like rainbows (duh!), instead having a very mild taste that can be even similar to a nut, although somewhat slightly. These kinds of fish are the ones that are most similar to a salmon, while they may have flaky and pale skins.
The similarities can be very impressive up to some point though. While you may catch them even in the same waters the salmon use to live and roam around, the flavor would not be that similar is they are farmed.
Another thing is that the size is just perfect for one serving. You would be eating just one rainbow trout compared to filets of a salmon. That should be fairly straight forward in identifying one from another. The best thing though is that you can also use lemon, a little bit of parsley and butter to enjoy the taste. You do not need to go oh so fancy with it, since it has this very mild flavor to it.
The appearance does not resemble a rainbow at all, which is misleading. The rainbow trout are normally and mostly gray, with some having some slight shades of pink and orange in some parts of their bodies. They could also have some dark spots and dots at their dorsal fins and other parts.
Conclusion
There you have it! What does trout taste like? Well, it depends of the kind of trout you are eating (or thinking of eating). Normally, the flavor of these fish could be between a very mild salmon taste; all the way up to a strong, fishy taste on the brown trout.
This is no surprise given that trout are very related to salmons, even sharing the same environments and behaviors in some cases. There is also a possible explanation on some tastes these fishes can have, given the kinds of prey they could eat before being catch by a human.
There are so many varieties of trout around the world; all of them with some distinctive tastes between one and other. The choice is always yours. The best way to choose is to actually taste the different dishes they could be served on.
