THE sea trout is an anadromous brown trout – in other words it breeds and spends its early life in fresh water, before heading out to sea, then returning once again to fresh water as an adult to breed and continue the cycle.
Silvery-grey with black or reddish spots and a delicate soft pink flesh from its diet of shrimp and other pink-fleshed crustaceans, the sea trout is native to European waters. Its short season is June and July and it is well worth hunting down the wi
ld variety, which you might find in your local supermarket, but more likely in a good fishmonger. If buying a whole fish (typically weighing around 1.8kg, but sometimes growing as big as 4.5kg), look for clear eyes, pink gills, firm flesh and no 'fishy' odour or flaking scales. Eat on the day of purchase, if possible, but you can keep it for a day or two in the fridge.
It is difficult to make a bad dish with a good sea trout and it makes a fantastic centrepiece for a summer buffet. Prepare the fish by gutting and removing the scales with the back of a knife, working from tail to head, then remove the fins and gills using kitchen scissors.
1 Poached sea troutPut the fish in a fish kettle or roasting tin lined with several layers of foil and scatter in some herbs and spices. The combination is up to you, but coriander leaves with lemon grass, white peppercorns and a bay leaf is one that works well. Add half a bottle of good white wine and enough water to just cover. Preheat your oven to 160ûC/gas 2 and place the fish poacher or oven tray covered tightly with foil in the preheated oven.
Allow the fish to cook slowly (the surface of the liquid should hardly move) for eight minutes per 500g before removing to a large board and allowing to cool. Remove the skin and any dark meat by gently scraping with the back of a knife and dress the fish by placing on a bed of watercress with sliced cucumber.
2 Dill mayonnaiseAdd freshly chopped dill and 1 tsp of lemon juice to home-made or quality store-bought mayo for the perfect accompaniment to cold poached sea trout.
3 Lemon-and-caper butterMelt 50g of unsalted butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and stir in the zest of an unwaxed lemon. Cook two inch-thick sea trout steaks in the pan for two minutes on each side, gently turning between. Plate the fish and turn off the heat before adding a tablespoon of oil-preserved capers to the pan. Stir round to warm the capers and pour over the fish.
4 Chive vinaigretteChop a small bunch of chives and one small shallot very finely and mix well with 60ml extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp of walnut oil, 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt, and drizzle over lightly seared sea trout fillets or steaks.
5 Sea trout kedgereeMelt 30g of butter and sauté a finely chopped onion for five minutes in a frying pan. Add 200g cooked basmati rice and a pinch of cumin and turmeric and stir to mix. Cook for two minutes more before stirring in 200g poached and flaked sea trout. Garnish with chopped hard-boiled egg and coriander.
The full article contains 576 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
