Indigo Farms' Broiled Rainbow Trout

When my father, The Wine Lover, announced a few years ago that he was building a trout pond, I gave him a puzzled look.

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked curiously. It seemed like a lot of work involving both building and stocking the thing with fish.

"For fishing!" he replied gleefully, laying out his vision for the glorified pond. "Then we'll always be able to eat fresh trout," he added, knowing that I'd be interested in that aspect of the pond.

Sure enough, he followed his vision and built his pond, complete with bridge, perfect for dropping your lures off, gazebo, and stocked full of golden, rainbow and brook trout. Several times a week, he diligently fed his trout, caring for them, watching them, and apparently growing very attached to them. So when the time came to catch and eat them, he balked at the idea. They'd become his pets by this time, and you can't eat your pets, can you?

But what about his empty promises of fresh trout? In steps one of the best business to hit the Blue Ridge area: Indigo Farms. The brainchild of Susan and Teresa, Indigo Farms provides the region with the freshest fish and specialty meats available. They drive a refrigerated truck down to the docks in North Carolina, load up the best product, and then deliver it to local mountain towns that might otherwise be deprived of fresh fish. When I say the quality of the fish they procure is better than I find at Whole Foods in Los Angeles, I mean it! It's truly an unbelievable service.

Susan & Teresa of Indigo Farms

Last Saturday, The Original Diva and I loaded up in her car and headed over to Harvest Moon where Indigo Farms was dispensing their fish that day. Their setup is run out of the back of their truck and features a white board listing all the fish, meats and specialty products that they're offering that day, including great items like fresh horseradish and Kobe Burgers. We selected halibut (recipe forthcoming later this week), wild caught salmon & of course, fresh trout. They packed everything in ice for us and we returned home, excited to plan meals around our purchases.

The Original Diva and I conferred about the trout, and we decided that our favorite cooking method for this particular fish was broiling. It's super healthy and really showcases the fresh, delicate taste of the trout. This is the simplest recipe in the world - not to mention it's super healthy. When we finally settled down to dinner, I was blown away by how fresh the fish tasted - like it had just been plucked out of my father's trout pond after all!


Domestic Diva's Indigo Farms Broiled Trout
Serves 3

3 trout filets
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper

Directions:

Set the oven to broil. Meanwhile layout the trout filets in a pan. Drizzle them with the olive oil and lemon juice. Then sprinkle with the chili flakes, parsley, salt & pepper.

Place the pan in the oven under the broiler and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through. Note: trout cooks very quickly. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Business mentioned in this post:

Indigo Farms
(540) 763-2323
indigo@swva.net

Serving the New River Valley since 1993, they're providers of fresh seafood and specialty meats. Click here to visit their website and see their schedule!