Pioneer Pan-Fried Trout with Sautéed Mustard Greens
4 trout fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each, with skin2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste ½ cup organic stoneground corn meal Vegetable oil, for frying 1 bunch mustard greens 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag or few paper towels to receive the fish as soon as it’s fried. Season the trout fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge each fillet, flesh side down, in the cornmeal, shaking off the excess. (There is no need to coat the skin side.)
Put a ½-inch layer of oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, fry 2 fillets, cornmeal side down, until they are golden brown, then turn and cook the other side, about 5 minutes in all. Put the fried fillets on the paper-lined baking sheet and hold them in the warm oven while you fry the other fillets. Keep the second round of fillets warm while you prepare the mustard greens.
Cut the mustard greens across the stems into ribbons 1 to 2 inches wide. Pour all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan in which the fish were fried and sauté the cut greens in the remaining oil until they are wilted, about 2 minutes. Splash the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice over the greens, toss to coat, then distribute the cooked greens evenly among 4 dinner plates. Lay one fried trout fillet, skin side down, over each pile of greens and serve at once.