Troutrageous!

"That's not trout," Margy said as she walked in the door after a long day of work and saw bright orange pieces of fish sitting on the counter.

But it was, despite its very salmonlike appearance. Fresh Canadian trout to be exact. And it was really good. I've been trying to get better at sautéing fish, and practice makes perfect. I heated about a tablespoon and a half each of olive oil and butter and got it hot but not so hot it would burn. I put some S&P on the fish filets and threw them in the pan, skin side down. The filets were thin, so they took only 4 1/2 minutes to cook to perfection -- most of that time on the skin side. Once the skin got a bit of color and I flipped the fish, it needed only a minute on the other side. I let it rest for a couple of minutes after it was done to allow the juices to settle, and then we dug in.

The fish is sitting on top of bulgur, that firm and tasty grain. Rich in fiber too, in case that makes it more attractive. You essentially cook it like rice, with about a 2.5-to-1 ratio of liquid to bulgur (the ratio changes a bit depending on the kind of grain you use). I had a carton of vegetable broth lying around, so I used half broth and half water, but just water is fine. And you can toss in extra goodies like shallot, carrot, and celery to add flavor to the bulgur, as I did here. It's great stuff -- and it makes a terrific leftover. Margy will be having some for lunch any day now.