The Paris Wife and Trout with Ham and Onions

Here is part two of my The Paris Wife post, much better for you than a Death in the Afternoon cocktail - trout stuffed with ham and onions.    While the Paris Wife is set mainly in Paris, as with anything having to do with Hemingway, the real heart of the story involves Spain. It was on a trip to Spain, to watch bullfighting, that Hadley and Hem's marriage really started to go wrong.  Hemingway, tempted by what was new and by someone who would fawn over him anew, flirted dangerously with a beautiful British aristocrat.  This woman became the inspiration for the character Brett in The Sun Also Rises.  Following this trip, Hem came home to write that book, and everyone on the trip with Hem and Hadley ended up as characters in the book - everyone except Hadley.   While on this trip, in Pamplona, while Hadley naps in the hotel, Hemingway ventures around the city and comes back raving about an amazing trout dish he had just had - the best fish he has ever eaten - river trout stuffed with ham and onions.  This seemed like the perfect dish to make for the book  - representing some good parts of the Hadley/Hem relationship - their love for the outdoors, they joy in sharing the things they love with each other.   This was a snap to make but certainly packs some special occasion punch.

Trout stuffed with ham and onions, adapted extensively from Random House
(printable recipe)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup of olive oil
2 small onions, thinly sliced
8 slices serrano ham
4 trout, cleaned, head on
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped parsley
lemon for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
2. Fry the ham, 4 slices at a time until crisp and lightly browned.  Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the other tablespoon of oil to the saute pan, add the onions and cook over medium heat until lightly browned.  About 10 minutes.
4. On a small plate, mix flour, paprika and salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each).
5. Stuff each trout with some onions and 2 pieces of ham.  
6. Close the trout and dredge lightly in flour.
7. Heat the 1/4 cup of oil in the saute pan until smoking.  Place two trout in the pan at once and fry for 6 -10 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
8. Remove the trout and drain on paper towels while frying the other two trout.
9. Serve with lemon and parsley.