Instructions

1. Fill the deep fryer with cooking oil. How much you need depends on the fryer. A small fryer requires less than a large fryer. Set the fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. A light, or other indicator, on the fryer will tell you when that temperature has been reached. Use a cooking thermometer if your fryer doesn't have an indicator.

2. Combine the 1/2 cup of flour with the black and cayenne peppers. Put it on a plate. Pick up a fillet and dredge in the flour. Dredging is dragging the fillet through the flour on one side, turning it over and dragging it through the flour on the other side. Shake off the excess flour. The flour helps the batter stick to the fish. Place the dredged fillets on a flour-dusted plate.

3. Combine 1 cup of flour, the beer, soda, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Trout has a delicate flavor. Don't add too much hot sauce. Mix until blended but don't over mix. Pick up a trout fillet with the tongs. Dip in the batter until the fillet is completely coated. Let the excess batter drip back into the bowl.

4. Lower the coated fish fillet into the deep fryer. Continue and dip the other fillets and put them in the deep fryer. Fry until golden brown and the trout is cooked through, probably no more than five minutes. Trout fillets are thin so they won't take long to cook through.

5. Remove and place on paper towel lined plates. Serve with coleslaw, corn muffins and sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and spritzed with lemon juice. Put extra lemon wedges on the plate for the fish.