Trout Marguery

Trout Marguery is an old school New Orleans seafood dish built around tender poached trout and a rich Marguery sauce loaded with shrimp, crabmeat, mushrooms, wine, sherry, hollandaise, and a little Louisiana attitude. This version keeps the classic restaurant feel but makes it practical for a serious home cook.

This recipe serves 6 and works beautifully with speckled trout, Gulf shrimp, lump crabmeat, crawfish tails, and a few pantry staples from Cajun and Creole cooking.

Trout Marguery Recipe

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the Trout

• 6 speckled trout fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each, skin removed
• 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter

For the Poaching Liquid

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• Juice of 1 lemon

For the Marguery Sauce

Seafood and Vegetable Base

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup finely sliced leeks, white part only
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup Gulf shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons crawfish tails
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Tiny splash of cognac

B’chamel Base

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup warm whole milk

Hollandaise Finish

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup clarified butter, warm

Final Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch of cayenne
• Few drops hot sauce
• Chopped green onions or parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare the B’chamel

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes without browning. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and simmer until the sauce is smooth and lightly thickened. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Make the Hollandaise

Using a double boiler, whisk the egg yolks with lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter while whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the sauce is silky and thick.

Do not overheat the hollandaise. Keep it warm, but never let it boil.

3. Poach the Trout

In a wide shallow pan, combine the water, white wine, red wine vinegar, sliced onion, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and lemon juice. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.

Season the trout lightly with Creole seasoning, salt, and white pepper. Carefully place the trout into the simmering liquid and poach gently for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just opaque. Remove carefully and keep warm.

4. Build the Marguery Sauce

In a large saut’ pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Cook the leeks and green onions for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and mushrooms. Saut’ until the mushrooms soften.

Add the chopped shrimp and crawfish tails. Cook just until the shrimp are barely pink.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry, white wine, and a tiny splash of cognac. Reduce by half.

Fold in the b’chamel sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, then gently fold in the lump crabmeat and hollandaise sauce.

Season with Creole seasoning, sea salt, white pepper, cayenne, and a few drops of hot sauce.

Important: Do not boil the sauce after adding the hollandaise. Low heat keeps the sauce smooth, rich, and restaurant worthy.

5. Finish the Dish

Place the warm trout fillets on serving plates. Spoon generous amounts of Marguery sauce over the fish. Garnish with chopped green onions or parsley and serve immediately.

Suggested Sides

Trout Marguery pairs beautifully with classic New Orleans style sides, especially:

• Brabant potatoes
• Asparagus
• Haricots verts
• Rice pilaf
• French bread for soaking up the sauce

Chef Notes

The crawfish tails give the sauce a deeper Louisiana seafood character, while the cognac adds subtle warmth beneath the wine and sherry reduction. The cayenne brightens the richness without overpowering the delicate trout.

This version of Trout Marguery delivers the flavor of an old school New Orleans fine dining restaurant while still being realistic for a confident home cook.