Five-Ingredient Trout Escabeche

FASTER

GLUTEN-FREE

Makes 4 servings

There may be no better lunch for a day on the patio. Serve the trout alongside a chopped salad of Romaine lettuce, carrots, cauliflower florets, and other crunchy, raw vegetables. Use some of the shallots from the marinade and a squeeze of one of the lemon wedges as the dressing. Or set the drained trout pieces on top of a Caesar salad (here) for an easy meal.

2 tablespoons olive oil

Four 6-ounce skin-on trout fillets

1 medium lemon, washed and sliced into paper-thin rounds, any seeds removed

1 medium shallot, sliced into paper-thin sheets

1½ cups dill pickle brine

1. Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add two trout fillets, skin side down, and cook until the skin is crisp, about 5 minutes. Gently turn the fillets and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a 9-inch baking pan.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and cook the remaining two fillets in the same manner before getting them into the baking pan.

3. Arrange the fillets in one layer (as well as you can). Top them with the lemon and shallot slices.

4. Gently pour the brine over everything, taking care not to dislodge the slices. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Slice the fillets into squares or larger pieces to serve.

Test Kitchen Notes

• Leave the trout in the pan mostly undisturbed as it cooks. The skin has to crisp so the fillet can turn easily.

• Use a nonstick skillet to keep the fillets intact.

• When you turn them, they should be beginning to flake, with the meat opaque and firm—in other words, just about cooked through.

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Voilà! Speaking of vinegary, bright meals, nothing beats ceviche for an easy dinner on a hot night. For 2 servings, toss 4 ounces thinly sliced sea scallops and 4 ounces diced, skinned, sushi-grade red snapper fillet with ½ cup fresh lime juice in a medium glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the fish becomes opaque, about 45 minutes. Drain, then toss with 1 large tomato, diced; ½ medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced; 1 small red onion, minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 3 dashes hot sauce, and table salt and ground black pepper to taste. Serve cold on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce.