Honey Mustard Trout

I was in a fast food restaurant a few weeks ago, after I'd lost internet service at my condo due to some confusion over the account; it was transferred to my ex-husband's new house sooner than it was supposed to be. McDonald's had wi-fi, and Jeremy had won a free small smoothie while playing the Monopoly game. He gave me the coupon so that I could have a free treat to compensate for the inconvenience of having to move my writing operation out of my favorite comfy chair.

But normally I drive by these places with contempt and disdain. I will spare you my rant, but I assure you that it can continue for quite some time. You'd get bored and you might not get around to reading the rest of my post, which offers an excellent recipe.

In honor of today's dubious holiday - National Fast Food Day - I'm giving you a recipe that can be made in 20 minutes. Real food, nutritious food, delicious food, prepared from start-to-finish in 20 minutes. Fast food, in the truest sense of the words!

I bought some beautiful trout filets on sale recently. I considered the traditional Trout Almondine, but decided to tweak it a bit; it's usually prepared with breading and butter, and I wanted something lighter.

So I schmeared the fish with a honey mustard, and sprinkled some ground almonds over that. A quick bake, and that was it! The fish was perfectly tender, moist, and exceptionally good. The sweetness of the coating was an ideal complement to the trout.

There is no need for drive-thrus or car-side services, the usual notion of "fast food." On this day, honor the spirit of those words by serving honest, simple, quickly prepared food that you make in your very own kitchen.

Honey Mustard Trout Almondine

2 trout filets, totaling 3/4-pound
pinch each of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons ground almonds

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil, then grease the foil.

Lay the filets side-by-side skin-side down in the prepared pan; sprinkle with the salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and honey; spread over the fish. Sprinkle the almonds over the fish.

Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.