For chef Julia Sullivan, a Nashville native, the pink-fleshed trout that swim in mountain streams are a gift to Southern cooks. But for those of us who don’t get to keep a line wet, local farm-raised trout stand in quite nicely. They’re a constant at her restaurant Judith, which she opened last December in Sewanee, Tennessee. “We love to serve whole trout because we are seafood people,” she says.
Sullivan’s résumé includes Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, two restaurants considered among New York’s best. In 2017, she opened Henrietta Red in Nashville. Food critics and diners alike swooned over her modern, seafood-forward menu. She designed Judith to be a little homier for people who might not gravitate to paddlefish caviar and green curry oysters.
For the trout, she might add a vinaigrette or a simple butter sauce. In the spring, she blends green garlic with basil to make a bright green pistou that she tops with a blanket of beurre blanc. With a drift of soft herbs and the seared garlic tops, it’s an elegant dish that isn’t difficult to prepare at home. “This is super easy to do on the stove or under the broiler and nice for serving family-style,” she says.
The first order of business is finding nice, plump whole trout. She gets her rainbows from Bucksnort Trout Ranch, an hour west of Nashville. If you’re buying fish from the market, “the biggest thing is making sure it has clear eyes,” she says. Sullivan butterflies the trout, which requires some knife skills to remove the backbone and patience to pluck the pin bones. “It’s a simple technique that is worth learning,” she says. Fish that have already been butterflied are perfectly acceptable, too. And if you can’t track down green garlic, spring onions or young leeks will do. “What’s nice about it for home is that it’s shareable and the presentation is beautiful.”
Sharing creates community, something Sullivan had been missing in big cities. It’s a large part of why she headed to Sewanee, home to the University of the South. Her father is an alumnus, and she grew up on visits filled with hikes and family friends. She named the restaurant after Judith Ward Lineback, who in 1969 became the first woman to enroll at the school. “It’s reconnecting me with a sense of hospitality I haven’t felt in a while.”
MEET THE CHEF: JULIA SULLIVAN
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Items she would grab if the house were on fire: Her grandmother Henrietta’s serving spoons. “I still use them, especially on holidays.”
Place she most wants to explore for its food: “Latvia, for oysters, seafood, and foraging.”
Post-shift snack: “I’m not a huge after-shift eater, but lately it’s been soft serve and chocolate pie. I have a sweet tooth.”
