Despite the name, lake trout is whiting, a saltwater fish dredged in cornmeal and fried until the edges shatter, then served in a paper bag with hot sauce. It is a Baltimore corner-shop staple.

Lake trout has nothing to do with trout or lakes. The story goes that whiting arriving late in the season at Lexington Market was sold as late trout, which slurred into lake trout. The cheap, flaky white fish became a corner-store and carry-out fixture, fried in cornmeal and folded into white bread with hot sauce. It remains a defining cheap eat of Black Baltimore, sold from steam tables and fish counters across the city.

Where to eat Lake trout in Baltimore

2 editor picks for Lake trout in Baltimore, ranked by editorial score. All Baltimore signature dishes · Lake trout across every city.

  • Faidley's Seafood

    Order The jumbo lump crab cake, broiled, almost all crab and no filler.

    Faidley's Seafood at Lexington Market has sold its jumbo lump crab cake since 1886, a stand-up counter where you eat the city's benchmark cake off paper.

    DetailsDirections

  • Lexington Market

    Lexington Market has run downtown since 1782, one of America's oldest public markets, reopened in a new 2022 hall with Faidley's crab cakes at its heart.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves 225 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 whiting fillets
  • 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Half a teaspoon black pepper
  • Neutral oil, for frying
  • White bread and hot sauce, to serve

Method

  1. Heat an inch of oil in a heavy pan to about 175C, or until a pinch of cornmeal sizzles instantly.
  2. Mix the cornmeal with the Old Bay, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
  3. Pat the whiting dry, then dredge each fillet in the seasoned cornmeal, pressing to coat.
  4. Fry in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden and the edges shatter.
  5. Drain briefly, then serve on white bread with plenty of hot sauce.

Editor tip. Use fine cornmeal and keep the oil hot; a cool pan gives you a soggy coat instead of the shattering crust that defines lake trout.

Common allergens: Fish, Gluten.