English translation: from the best / thickets part of the fillet
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1) It could just mean 'right through' — though one more often sees that with « à cœur », for example « cuit à cœur »
2) I think it is possibly more likely to be referring to the heart of the fillet — you often hear of things being « coupé dans le cœur », which in the case of a fish would mean the fattest, most regularly-shaped part of the fish (i.e. not the scrappy end bits where the slices tesnd to get rather small). Here, it seems to be talking about 'morceaux' rather than slices, which may explain things — it might help to know what the recipe goes on to use them for? My only concern really is that trout fillets are pretty small at the best of times, so 'cœur' is going to be a pretty relative term!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 47 minutes (2011-11-17 14:11:22 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Right, Jeremy, your very important second bit of information clinches it! This is clearly nothing to do with the smoking, but just the position of the pieces in the fillet! So my suggestion 2) is the one you need.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 49 minutes (2011-11-17 14:13:20 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I should have mentioned before that of course « cœur du filet » is very common in describing fish cuts.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 57 minutes (2011-11-17 14:20:34 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
See, for example, this Ghit:
Cœur de filet de saumon fumé | Panier Choisi | Rungis-Fleurs
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I am sure Tony is right- you use just the thickest part of the fillet, to ensure a hearty serving. You can then use the rest for another dish, or freeze it.
methinks we would eat the whole damn thing. But I get your point, although I respectfully remain unconvinced. I nevertheless remain open to an invitation to your table (seems really worth it).
In restaurants, one very often has to use a small part of a fish, fowl, etc. in order to achieve a specific result; the rest is rarely wasted, but used in some othe way.
For example, my partner does a most delicious starter of baby pigeon breasts stuffed with foie gras and fres figs; for this, he removes just the breast fillets from the baby pigeon (it takes 2 per portion) — the rest of the carcase is then 'wasted'; from it, he makes a very heavily reduced rich jus with which to accompany the dish.
There are plenty of precedents for using only an apparently wastefully small part of some ingredients — less common, perhaps, in domestic recipes, but very common indeed in haute cuisine, where thrift if not the first consideration.
Trout is indeed sometimes cooked other than whole, and of course, is often found smoked, too.
Since the fillets are relatively small, it would make sense, if you need to use 'pieces' of it, to take them from the thickest part of the fillet; I guess you'd probably only get 3 or so rather small pieces out of each fillet.
Of course, it would help a lot to know just what the recipe then goes on to do with them!
I see the distinction you are making, but the problem is that it does not quite work here, does it? The trout is usually cooked whole or as fillets, and I can't see for the life of me where le coeur would fit in your interpretation. Maybe, I'm missing something. Maybe the receipe is poorly written?...
Yes, but that's « fait à cœur », whereas here wehave something that is « dans le cœur », which is another very common expression meaning 'cut from the very centre of [something]'
I am sure you have all seen the French opening the box of a camembert at poking their thumb in the middle to check if it's nice and spongy. That's how we check that the core of the cheese is not chalky (or too gooey). In a word, that it is "fait à coeur".
Sounds odd I know, but only yesterday I had a trout and black truffle moelleux to translate - you can imagine the soft gooey centre, oozing with a trout and truffle mixture...
The translation workplace 
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