Recipe 20 is… Fresh Trout Teriyaki

May 6th, 2013

Another simple but sumptuous way to enjoy fresh trout fillets and presentationally a meal fit for a king.

To produce a really beautiful end result you will need top quality large D-cut fillets such as those below. Strangely these aren’t as mainstream as the smaller fillets but are increasingly available in fishmongers and some supermarket fish counters.  I’d love to know if your fishmonger/ supermarket supplies them, and if not what their reasoning is.  

Email me at shara@moffatwaterwaterfoods.com with details of your enquiry & response and in return you will receive 10% off your next smoked trout order from Moffat Water Foods (www.moffatwaterfoods.com).

fresh trout d-cut fillets 

To serve x4 people you will need…

Trout Teriyaki
4 large trout fillets
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp rice wine
4 inch section of fresh ginger
4 fresh lemongrass stalks
1 bunch spring onions

Spring Onion Mash
4 large potatoes
1 bunch spring Onions
Ample Butter & Milk
Juice of a whole lemon

Leeks or a vegetable of your choice, ideally with a clean taste to help balance the savoury teriyaki and rich mashed potato.

Step One: Preparation
First prepare the base of your sauce by finely chopping your ginger, lemon grass and spring onions.

trout teriyake ingredients

 

Next season your trout, either with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper or if you feel more adventurous a commbination of other herbs and spices. My enterprising husband found an ingenious product called Herby Fish Rub from Spicentice which is a pre-prepared mixture of coriander, parsley, dill, fennel, garlic, onion, lemon peel and ginger – this is what I’m sprinkling over the trout fillets below – and it worked fantastically. Equally, any mixure of the above or similar herbs and spices would be just as good.

seasoning your trout fillets 

 Step Two: The Sauce

Mix your soy sauce, rice wine and pre-chopped ginger, lemon grass and spring onion in a small saucepan and simmer gently until the sauce has reduced and the consistency is slightly syrupy. Leave to one side.

 Step Three: The Spring Oinion Mash

Peel, chop, boil and mash your potatoes as you would for regular mashed potato, perhaps adding a little more milk than normal to ensure a light and fluffy mash. To save on elbow grease I also finish off with a hand-held electric blender to completely eradicate any lumps and bumps. 

(Note: I did once attempt to push the mash through a sieve but failed dismally; not only did none of the mash want to go through the sieve but I also ended up with more mash on myself and my apron than anywhere else.   Has anyone else had a similar experience?)

Next finely chop the remaining spring onion and gently fry over butter in a non-stick frying pan.

trout with spring onion mash

 

Once soft but not yet browning add the spring onion and lemon juice to the mashed potato. Mix in well and leave to one side.

 

spring onion mashed potato

 

Step Four: Grill the Trout Fillets

Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan with a small amount of olive oil.
Add the trout fillets skin down (you should hear a satisfying sizzle as the fillet skins hit the olive oil) and pour the sauce over the fillets, using a plastic or wooden spoon to pile the chopped ginger, lemon grass and spring onions onto the top of the fillets so that they don’t burn in the saucepan.

teriyake sauce over trout fillets

 

Watch as the deep pink of the raw trout gives way to the lighter pink of the cooked trout as the heat rises up through the fillet (this may take anything from 6 to 15 minutes depending on the heat of your frying pan).

deep pink trout to light pink trout

 

Step Six: Prepare your Vegetables

If using leeks as I did then I would recommend chunky slices and a light steaming to allow the leeks to retain both their shape & texture as well as their clean crisp taste.

trout with steamed leeks

 

Step Five: Serve to Oohs and Aahs

If neccessary re-heat your mashed potato.
Arrange your mashed potato, leeks and trout fillets on pre-heated plates, then spoon your remaining sauce over the fillets. Add a slice of lemon and/or sprig of parsley or coriander for the essential garnish and enjoy each and every mouthful.

teriyake trout served to oohs and aahs

 

Marks Out of Ten

7/10 for ease of preparation
(nothing technical but a fair amount of chopping and I also always find mashed potato takes me longer than expected)

10/10 for taste and enjoyment

6/10 for health and slimming
(mashed potato is never a winner on the slimming front)

Recipe 19 – Smoked Trout, Bacon and Broccoli Rice Bowl

April 24th, 2013

This is Trout Blog’s answer to kedgeree, only with fewer ingredients, less fuss and the most deliciously different smoked trout only available from Moffat Water Foods.

Smoked Trout, Bacon and Broccoli Rice Bowl

All you will need is a generous amount of smoked trout, bacon, broccoli, rice and eggs, plus spring onion and fresh coriander as a welcome but not essential garnish. You will also require the staples of olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, dried chili flakes and black pepper, all of which you will hopefully have in your seasoning cupboard.

First prepare a rice of your choice. We used jasmine for this first attempt but I will be trying the same recipe wtih short grain brown rice next time for a crunchier (and healthier) alternative.

rice of your choice

While the rice is cooking you can fry your bacon in a frying pan (draining any excess fat if necessary, we were lucky enough to be using bacon from our own free-range and very lean pork but appreciate not everyone has this to hand) and once it is crispy push it to one side of the pan. Add olive oil to the frying pan and only when it is piping hot add your broccoli making sure that the broccoli florets sizzle as they hit the pan.

 

sear your broccoli

Next add your smoked trout for a quick sear on each side. We chose to use hot smoked trout but any of our range of smoked trout (cold smoked, hot smoked and smoke roasted) would be equally delicious in this recipe.

IMG_1945

Add your now cooked and drained rice to the frying pan, add soy sauce, sesame oil and mix well.

Transfer to pre-heated bowls or plates (ideally wide shallow bowls as you will be adding a fried egg) and add your garnish of chopped spring onion and coriander.

 

spring onion and coriander garnish

Finally fry your eggs in the same frying pan (always keen to minimise unnecessary washing up).

fried eggs

Gently transfer your eggs onto the top of the trout, bacon and broccoli mixture and serve.

the final piece

Possible Recipe Improvement

Try keeping back your chopped coriander garnish and adding after you have placed the fried egg as this may make for better presentation. I will leave this subtle but important choice up to the individual.

piglets galore

April 23rd, 2013

Spring may not have arrived but our new little piglets couldn’t wait to get started on their bracken-foraging lives on the hills at Selcoth.

new little piglets

They started off meek and mild like little pink slugs.

pink little slugs

With the main ambition being to be snug and warm at the bottom of the heap.

a pile of piglets

But it wasn’t long before they were up on their feet checking out their new home.

checking out their new home

Watch this space for more photos of the little rascals as they grow up, and for the two new litters due from the very pregnant and long-suffering grandmothers Ethel and Mildred.

pregnant and long suffering

Recipe 18 – Indian Spiced Trout Fillets-

March 28th, 2013

The long awaited recipe 18 is significantly later than intended but absolutely worth the wait.

The reason for the delay?  A bonanza of home-reared lamb, mutton, pork and charcuterie diverting us from our trout mission.  More on these in my next post, the most exciting development being that Moffat Water Foods will soon be adding hill-reared salami’s, chorizo’s and dried hams to its smoked food entourage.

Indian Spiced Trout Fillets

Indian Spiced Trout Fillets

Indian Spiced Trout Fillets owes its name to Charlie Cannon, fellow trout producer and committed food enthusiast currently researching the possibilities for an Eat Farm Table venture in the UK.  Charlie was visiting us to see the farm, brainstorm food ideas and sample Selcoth salami (possible brand name Selcotta, feedback welcome please) and trout of all varieties; hot smoked, cold smoked, smoke roasted and Indian Spiced Trout Fillets.  It was also Olly & I’s 7 year anniversary (gulp) with flowers and champagne to boot, what more could a girl ask for?
Seven year anniversary flowers

Seven year anniversary flowers

The joy of this recipe is the simplicity, ease of preparation, minimal cooking time and the wonderful way the natural trout flavours are enhanced and balanced by the Indian spices.  This plus the crunchy crust on one side and crispy skin on the other make this one of our top 3 from the Trout Blog so far.

crunchy spice crust

crunchy spice crust

The starting point for this recipe was once again Jane Bamforth’s brilliant book ‘Classic Trout Recipes’ commissioned and produced by the British Trout Association, for more trout recipes see their website www.britishtrout.co.uk.  The only change introduced by me was the addition of new spices to the peppercorn crust but for readers not suffering from my spice addiction I’m sure the pure peppercorn version is equally delicious.

Ingredients (Serves 4 people)

You will need:

x2 trout fillets, approx 200g each

For the spiced crust:
Peppercorns
Coriander seeds
Cardamon pods
Onion seeds
Mustard seeds

delicious Indian spices

delicious Indian spices

For the lemon mash:
Potatoes
Butter
Milk
Lemons
Spring onion
Salt

Plus broccoli or green veg of your choice

Step 1: Make the Indian Spice Crush
First, mix and grind or crush your spices until they are broken up but not too finely grounded.

don't grind too finely

don’t grind too finely

 

Gadgets to the fore once more and a big thank you to my mother for indulging her daughter with a Revel mini-grinder ideal for spices, coffee beans, garlic, ginger, chili and anything else that needs grinding in small quantities.

Revel min-grinder

Revel mini-grinder

Revel grinder at work

Revel grinder at work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next place your trout fillets skin down and evenly spread your spice mixture across the surface, pressing the broken up spices firmly into the trout.

spiced trout fillets at rest

spiced trout fillets at rest

Leave your fillets to infuse with flavour while you prepare your lemon mashed potato and green vegetables.

Step 2: Prepare your lemon mash
Make your mashed potato as you would normally, adding fresh lemon juice at the same time as the milk and butter.

adding lemon to the mash

adding lemon to the mash

For the actual mashing I start with a hand-masher and then finish with an electric mixer to ensure that there are no lumps.

first the hand-masher

first the hand-masher

then the electrix mixer

then the electric mixer

Preheat a smooth, if possible non-stick, large frying pan with a spoonful of olive oil.  Once the oil is nearly sizzling add your trout fillets skin-side down.  Watch as the transition from deep raw pink to lighter cooked pink rises up through the trout and after 7-10 minutes or once the cooked pink is only a couple of cm from the surface flip the fillets and cook crust side down for a further 3 mins.

sizzling trout fillets

sizzling trout fillets

 

Serve on pre-heated plates (particularly important with mashed potato which cools easily) with a green vegetable of your choice.  I chose oven-baked broccoli as a crispy contrast to the smooth mashed potato.

crispy oven-baked brocoli

crispy oven-baked broccoli

After several presentational experiments I abandoned my plan to serve the spiced fillets on a bed of lemon mash (the bed seemed a bit flat) and instead arranged my mash in a neat swirl between the fillets and broccoli, adding a parsley palm tree as a final touch.

the final touch to spiced fillets

the final touch to spiced fillets

Results:

Ease of preparation: 10/10

Taste and enjoyment: 10/10

Best aspect: the surprisingly crunchy crust

 

Recipe 17 – A Valentine Special from Valentine Warner (seared trout fillets with mustard lentils)

February 18th, 2013

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s night than to enjoy a sizzling night of indulgent trout cuisine accompanied by carefully selected Chablis?

Valentine trout Valentine original

And by perfect harmony this recipe comes to us from Valentine Warner himself, crafted and created for the British Trout Association and one of the flagship recipes of the Buy British Trout campaign, a movement close to our hearts and gaining an increased momentum with each new twist and turn of the horse meat debacle.  (See www.britishtrout.co.uk for more delicious recipes and some of the many reasons why we love being part of British trout production.)

Buy British Trout

Ingredients

2 trout fillets (British naturally)
2 bunches of cherry tomatoes, still attached to vine
50g lentils (original recipe uses green, I used red and it was perfect)
2 shallots
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
2 cloves of garlic
120ml white wine
400ml fish stock
Flour, salt and pepper, olive oil, butter

And for the sauce:

Diijon and wholegrain mustard
Parsley, tarragon, thyme
50ml double cream
….

A word on lentils

For anyone squeamish about lentils take heart.  Olly’s default position is lentil adverse but he gave this recipe 10/10.  The combination of the fish stock and mustard flavouring transform the lentils into a sophisticated complimentary backdrop to the natural flavours of the trout, a sublime combination.

Valentine trout lentil heart

Instructions:

Simmer the lentils until soft but not mushy, drain and leave to one side.

Finely dice (and don’t be tempted to use a processor, you want defined individual pieces) the shallots, carrot and celery.

Valentine trout diced vegetable heart

Add the wine and allow to reduce until virtually evaporated then add the fish stock and reduce until only 3-4 tablespoons remaining.  Add the drained lentils, a generous tsp of each of the mustards and cream. 

Valentine trout simmered diced vegetables

Chop the parsley, tarragon and thyme and add to the lentil, mustard, and cream mixture.

Valentine trout enjoying the process

Valentine trout adding herbs

Stir, season to taste and leave to one side.  Remember to pre-heat your plates to ensure the lentil base remains piping hot once served.Place your two bunches of cherry tomatoes in a small baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake in a hot oven for 15-25mins until the skins are withered and beginning to brown, timing this so that your tomatoes come out of the oven just before you are ready to serve.valentine trout cherry tomatoes

Now for your trout fillets. 

If using trout fillets from a large trout then you may want to divide your fillet into smaller fillet sections.

Olly preparing trout fillet steaks

delicious British trout

 Mix the flour with salt and pepper on a plate and lower the trout fillets skin side down making sure the skins get a decent coating. 

Olly preparing delicious trout 

Heat approx 25g of butter with olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and just before the butter begins to bubble add the trout fillets skin side down, applying pressure with a plate or wooden spoon to ensure the skin crisps. 

Watch the delicate pink slowly rise up through the richer pink indicating the transition from raw trout to cooked trout and, when you estimate the fillet is nearly cooked through, flip the fillet and cook skin-side up for a further 30 seconds.

sharas valentine trout ready to go

Once the trout is ready, re-heat the lentils and spoon into the centre of the pre-heated plates forming a bed for the cherry tomatoes which you add next, still attached to the stalks.

Finally add the trout fillets – skin side up for maximum effect –  and serve with a chilled dry white wine such as this delicious Chablis.

carefully selected Chablis

As you will hopefully be able to glean from the slightly fuzzy photograph above this is one of the more impressive looking of our trout blog recipes and an absolute winner if you want to achieve that presentation wow factor. (I did forget to serve the fillets skin side up which was a pity but as Olly hadn’t seen Valentine’s original photo I think I got away with it.)

But finally, and most importantly, this is a delicious and incredibly original recipe in its flavours and textures, and one that is absolutely befitting the great British Trout.

Recipe 16 is Pan-fried Trout Fillets with Balsamic Glazed Vegetables

February 6th, 2013

Recipe 16 represents a true trout triumph.  Born & bred on a trout farm and raised on meals consisting all too frequently of trout, husband Olly was somewhat apprehensive about the Trout Blog Challenge.  His primary fear was that a return of excess trout in his diet might re-activate a  childhood apathy towards one of the most versatile and healthy fish products on the market.  That, plus a day-to-day interaction with live trout on the farm, was a worrying combination.

However, I am thrilled and delighted to announce that after a mere 15 recipes Olly’s taste buds and culinary curiosity were sufficiently tweaked to induce him to not only suggest the form and content of recipe 16 but to also to take control of the cooking and the delivery, with a small exception being the trout preparation which was outsourced to me.

The result was a triumph: caper and lemon juice marinaded trout fillets gently fried and served on a bed of balsamic glazed vegetables, with the rich flavour of the vegetables perfectly balanced by the  clean subtle taste of the caper and lemon flavoured trout fillets.

We used fillets from small trout (approx 450g or 1lb each) the filleting of which was a first for me since I usually fillet much larger trout around two or three kilos.  However, with helpful Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s advice at my finger tips I couldn’t go too far wrong and was delighted to have the left over carcass to make trout stock with ready for my next fish pie, trout cakes, soup, or whatever it may be.

helpful Hughs filleting tips

First we prepared the vegetables.   The wonderful thing about doing roast veg is that you can use pretty much whatever you have to hand, with the essential staple being onions.  By lucky coincidence we happened to conjure up onion, aubergine and sweet potato though in a perfect world I might have added green pepper to complete the colour scheme.

trout recipe roast veg ingredients

In order to retain the shape of the onion slices we mixed the diced aubergine and sweet potato with the olive oil, mixed herbs and salt and paper in the roasting dish and only at the last minute added the onion slices – a little trick learnt from Michel Roux Jnr on Tuesday night.  Once the onion slices had been carefully placed we then drizzled the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and put them into a hot oven for 45 minutes.

trout recipe balsamic veg

Meanwhile Olly was working wonders with his trout fillets by creating a fresh lemon juice, capers and salt and pepper marinade for the trout to infuse for 20 minutes or so while the roast veg slowly cooked away.

Olly marinading trout

marinaded trout fillets

Once confident the roast veg were almost there (if using sweet poato they are usually the final litmus test, in my opinion they are best when crisp and crunchy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside) we pre-heated a tea spoon of olive oil in a wide non-stick frying pan.  Once the olive oil was hot and almost beginning to smoke we added the trout fillets skin-side down.  We didn’t turn the fillets half way through but instead watched the soft pink colour of the cooked trout miraculously work its way up from the bottom edge of the fillets to the top edge, allowing us to see exactly when they were cooked through and to prevent over-cooking them.

Olly checking the trout fillets

balsamic veg out of the oven

We then simply served the fillets on a bed of the roast vegetables (taking care not to break up the onion slices when handling), added a slice of lemon juice and happily devoured.

pan fried fillet with balsamic veg

Marks out of 10

Ease of preparation:  7/10 – less instant than some of my trout recipes as you do need to prep the vegetables
Healthiness: 6/10 – there is olive oil involved in roasting the veg and frying the trout
Taste: 9/10 – overall a really good recipe, and as requested by some of my fairer paletted readers, not a hint of chilli

Biff the Boar

January 28th, 2013

On a still and snowy evening in January the girls are quietly enjoying their evening meal, no doubt discussing how calm and peaceful life is without 24 greedy piglets to feed.

enjoying the quiet

Their peace is short-lived.  Just around the corner Biff the Boar is making his entrance.

Biff makes his entrance

Big Biff is so big that he can’t turn around in the trailer and has to exit backwards, which he finally manages with limited elegance.

Biff exits backwards

But once on the ground it doesn’t take long before he spots the hut and suspects there may be ladies lurking within.

Biff spots the hut

 Introductions are duly made.

introductions are made

 And things seem to be going quite well.

things going well

Which is unsurprising given what a looker he is.

what a looker

 There was a slight hiccup when we thought that Biff was going to be too big to get into the pig hut.

too big for the pig hut

But luckily he eventually made it in.

kipping in the pig hut

It doesn’t take long before romance is in the air.

romance is in the air 

And the rest, as they say, is history.

the rest is history 

So fingers crossed for another batch of squealing little monsters in the spring.

Recipe 15 – Smoked Trout Burgers

January 16th, 2013

Hurray for another exciting new way to cook smoked trout – and as with the best recipes this one is easy to prepare and straightforward to cook.  You can even choose whether you grill or fry (an ongoing debate in our house) – see To Grill or To Fry below.

almost finished trout burger

I took an original recipe for un-smoked trout fishcakes and did some doctoring to transform what might have been a regular and slightly bland fish cake that tasted more of potato than fish into a serious culinary delight.  It was mmm hmm mmm delicious and lucky Olly has a couple left over for his lunch today while I pace around London searching out the best deli’s to partner with as our London suppliers (any ideas very welcome please).

delicious trout ingredients

 Ingredients:

Makes 8 smoked trout burgers to serve 4 people

 – 200g Smoked trout*

– 300g mashed potato

– 2 bunches spring onion

– Generous bunch of fresh parsley or coriander or similar green herb

– 2 stems of fresh or frozen lemongrass

– Pinch of dried chilli flakes

– Pinch of cayenne pepper

– Salt n’ pepper

– Juice from 1/2 lemon

– Breadcrumbs**

*I used hot smoked trout for easy flaking into the mashed potato but I’m going to experiment with the smoke roasted for a deeper flavoured burger and also with heating up the cold smoked and seeing if that works.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a versatile recipe that works with all three types of our smoked trout?

**To confess or not to confess.  Father Christmas gave me a pot of dried flavoured breadcrumb crust which worked a treat, though obviously if you have the time and energy to do your own breadcrumbs then so much the better.

cheat trout crust

Recipe Steps

1. Boil your potatoes.
2. Tear or chop your parsley/coriander. 
3. Flake your smoked trout. 

4. Make your spring onion, lemon grass, smoked trout and herb mix:

Slice and then finely chop your spring onions (don’t be afraid to keep going further along the green leaf than normal; this is good flavoursome greenery) and lemon grass.

wizz double blad

Introducing another useful gadget: the double bladed chopper

trout burger chopped spring onion

Gently fry your chopped spring onions and lemon grass in a tea spoon of olive oil and once soft add the chilli flakes and cayenne pepper.

simmering spring onions for trout burger

Add your flaked smoked trout for an extra 3 minutes of cooking to allow the spring onion and chilli flavours to infuse up and through the trout.

flaked smoked trout

5. Next step mashed potato:

Once your boiling potatoes are soft drain the water, add a splash of milk and mash up.  Avoid adding salt to the potatoes (there is plenty in the smoked trout) and no need to add butter for the mash, just a splash of milk will give the potato the creamy texture it needs. 

6. Now make the burger mixture:

Transfer the mashed potato, flaked smoked trout and spring onion mixture to large bowl.

Add your chopped parsley/coriander, lemon juice and salt and pepper. 

cinco scissors for trout blog

Mix well with a spoon or your hand.

making trout burgers

7.  And finally make your burgers:

Make your burgers by taking a handful of the mixture and patting from palm to palm into round flat burgers.  

trout burger palm patting

Put a generous amount of breadcrumbs into a flat bottomed bowl and drop your burgers in one-by-one, turning them over to ensure a smooth covering of breadcrumbs all over.

beautiful trout burgers

 Top Tip: Keep your burgers relatively small to enable easier cooking and handling (the larger they are the more inclined they are to fall apart and less likely to heat through during cooking).

Grill or fry your burgers as preferred and serve with a salad or vegetable of your choice, we had lots of lettuce, rocket and red onion to hand which was a light companion to the richer burger.

 

To Grill or To Fry

As two head-strong and amateur food enthusiasts it is surprising how little we argue about cooking but one frequent debate is whether we grill or fry, with Olly advocating frying and Shara preferring to grill.

To put the matter to bed once and for all we decided to run a trial.

Shara grilling trout burgers

Shara grilled…

Olly frying trout burgers

…and Olly fried.

Result: both looked and tasted great but the grilled burgers were more robust,easier to handle and looked and tasted better than the slightly softer fried version.  Hurray for a clear outcome and, for a few weeks at least, some peace in my kitchen.

delicious smoked trout burger

Grilled on the left, fried on the right

 Some Garlic Mayo with that?

quick garlic mayo for trout burger

As a greedy extra you can also make a quick garlic mayo by adding a crushed garlic clove and black pepper to some (home-made or bought) mayonnaise.  Olly took responsibility for this, made it in 5 minutes flat and it was delicious.

More Kitchen Gadgets

new mini super juicer for trout blog

As promised in the last blog update, here is the mini hand-held juicer ideal for those smaller lemon juice moments.  Thank you Father Christmas.

Receipe 14 – Malaysian Steamed Trout with a Lime, Coriander and Coconut Filling

January 5th, 2013

This recipe, inspired by a traditional Malaysian cooking technique, opens up a whole new world since it completely simplifies the sometimes hazardous process of steaming fish.

img_0443.JPG

You will need two chunky trout fillets (large trout fillets are increasingly available on wet counters in fishmongers and supermarkets), fresh coriander, limes, chilli flakes and desiccated (unsweetened) coconut and a steamer.

ingredients for trout sandwich

A word on steaming

I love steaming.  It avoids boiling all the goodness out of your food, retains moisture and, especially if you are lucky enough have one of those versatile metal flower steamers that you can use in all metal bottomed saucepans, is easy and clutter free.  As such I steam all my vegetables (with the exception of potatoes) and aspire to steam as much fish as possible but usually run into problems either with the fish meat falling apart (in the case of fillets) or the fish kettle being cumbersome to handle (in the case of whole fish).

So imagine my excitement and delight to discover a new way to steam fish without any of these problems, namely wrapping your flavoured fillet in a parcel of baking paper and popping it into your regular flower or saucepan steamer.  Straightforwardly simple and perfect.  You can expect many more trout blog recipes to use this technique.

Back to the actual recipe which as you by now may be guessing is really just a trout fillet parcel packed with a coriander lime and coconut filling.

trout sandwich skin off

First make your filling by mixing together a generous handful of chopped fresh coriander, plenty of fresh lime rind (I used 2 limes for each parcel) and a couple of pinches of desiccated (unsweetened) coconut.   

 

Then make a sauce by adding the juice from the de-rinded (if such a word exists) limes to a tea spoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.

 

Next take a square piece of baking powder (large enough to wrap and seal around both fillets together) and place one of your rainbow trout fillets skin down in the middle.  Add all of the filling and drizzle approximately half of your sauce over the top of the filling.  Take your second fillet and place skin up on top of the filling, effectively making a trout sandwich. 

trout filling of coriander lime and coconut

Brush both fillet skins with the remainder of your sauce and fold the parcel up taking care to seal the edges. 

lime juice for trout sandwich

Place the folded up trout parcel in your steamer and steam for 10 minutes before serving on a bed of whatever you feel like; I chose salad to help combat Christmas excess but under usual circumstances I might be tempted by rice noodles and spring onions.

The result is an original, delicate and healthy delight, though I do confess that at the last minute I added some sweet chilli sauce to help make my rocket and water cress bed a bit more interesting.  There is only so much purity one can take.

trout sandwich skin on

Depending upon your preference you can serve with the skin on or skin off.  I think leaving the colourful and glossy skin on produces a stronger visual impact and since the skin peels away so easily it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of eating.

Christmas Gadgets

Thank you to my family for indulging my gadget obsession.  Starting from left to right we have the super-retro-juicer for when you know you are doing significant quantities (next week’s upload will present juicer junior which is useful for smaller quantities), then the established but under-appreciated de-rinder and finally, brand new to my kitchen this Christmas, the cinco-scissor wonder. 

trout gadget super juicer   trout gagdet derinder   trout gadget cinco scissors

  So if you are ever sceptical of my prep time estimates then perhaps now you will realise how spoilt I am and what a difference they make.

Happy New Year Everyone!

January 4th, 2013

Apologies that Trout Blog was a bit quiet over Christmas, we were literally run off our feet with Christmas orders which were brilliant but didn’t leave much time for experimental cooking and blogging. 2013 is going to be an exciting year for the Trout Blog, for Moffat Water Foods, for British trout and for anyone lucky and sensible enough to enjoy healthy delicious sustainable food. We have loads of exciting plans and initiatives to bring you – all involving food, cooking, eating, farming, home-grown, foraging, health and lots more.  As a brief taster…

Highlights of 2012 

 A year in pictures bringing out the best and the worst of life on a Scottish hill farm, with the final triumph surely being this most decorative of Christmas starters ever, produced by Moffat Water Foods friend and customer Hilary Cole.

christmas smoked trout
Hilary Cole’s Christmas Day Creation

Recipe 14 is …

A new and entirely novel way to steam rainbow trout fillets; inspired by Malaysian cooking and coming to a Trout Blog near you this weekend. 

novel steamed trout

A New Boar About Town

 Ethel and Mildred have rejected Dudley the Frenchman for a new rare breed boar from the Scottish Borders, the blind date commences next weekend.

Ethel and Dudley on first date
Mildred and Dudley while romance still bloomed

Shara’s Troutastic Challenge I am still fine-tuning this but in essence it’s going to involve lots of trout, lots of wild or home-grown produce and not a lot else.  Nutritionist expert Sam Thorburn will be on hand to stop me wasting away (not a serious concern) and I might even throw in a half-marathon challenge to up the ante. Expansion into Rare Breed Ducks, Poultry and Quail

The hut has been built, the ground prepared and current residents Percy and Penelope (below) forewarned. We now need to source the occupants so if anyone has any ideas for rare and wonderful breeds please let us know.

Percy and Penelope
Percy and Penelope taking the news calmly

And so much more so keep watching this space.