Rocky Mountain Trout appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Pan-seared Rocky Mountain trout · Denver
Whole rainbow or cutthroat trout from Colorado high country streams, pan-seared bone-in with brown butter, lemon and toasted almonds, on a bed of wild rice or polenta.
Rainbow trout is Colorado's state fish and the Front Range's defining freshwater plate, harvested from streams above 7,000 feet and from trout farms in the San Luis Valley. The dish entered Denver hotel restaurants in the 1880s through the railroad-era Brown Palace and Oxford Hotel kitchens. Modern Denver versions across Mercantile and Bistro Vendome lean on Colorado farmed trout from the San Luis Valley and the Western Slope. The pan-seared bone-in version with brown butter and almonds has been the canonical preparation since the 1950s.
Where to eat in Denver:
- Mercantile Dining and Provision
- Bistro Vendome
- Rioja