Lake Trout appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Lake trout · Baltimore
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 in Baltimore:
- Faidley's Seafood
- Lexington Market