Salt Baked Trout with Paprika Hollandaise and Asparagus Salad & Crispy Black Forest Ham
Author: Kiran Jethwa
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Seafood
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
I caught a 3lb rainbow trout in Rutundu near Mount Kenya recently when filming an episode of Tales from the Bush Larder. To hook one of these special and delicious specimens is a rare treat in Kenya. It was made even more special by getting to know the people who had tied the fishing flies we used. Catching a beautiful trout this size paid homage to their hard work and skill. It is great to know that their craft is so effective.
Ingredients
- 1kg whole rainbow trout, skin and head on, guts removed
- 2kg of sea salt
For the Hollandaise
- 500ml white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- bunch tarragon
- 3 large free-range egg yolks
- 200ml melted and skimmed unsalted butter (see Secrets for success, below)
- squeeze lemon juice
- 1 tsp paprika
For the salad
- ½ kg whole cooked new potatoes (skin on)
- 1 bunch steamed asparagus
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1 packet of black forest ham
- ½ bunch dill
Instructions
For the Hollandaise
- Boil the vinegar together with the peppercorns and tarragon, reduce by half. Strain and reserve.
- Boil a large pan of water, then reduce to a simmer. Using a large balloon whisk, beat together the yolks and 2 tsp of the reduced wine vinegar in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the pan.
- Beat vigorously until the mixture forms a foam, but make sure that it doesn’t get too hot. To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a plastic spatula. The aim is to achieve a golden, airy foam (called a sabayon), which forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted.
- Whisk in a small ladle of the warmed butter, a little at a time, then return the bowl over a gentle heat to cook a little more. Remove from the heat again and whisk in another ladle of butter. Repeat until all the butter is incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise. Finally, whisk in lemon juice, salt, paprika and pepper to taste plus a little warm water from the pan if the mixture is too thick.
For The Salt Baked Trout
- Find an oval oven dish into which you can comfortably fit the whole trout.
- Lay a 1cm thick bed of salt, and place the trout on this. Then cover the top of the trout completely and ensure the whole fish is caked in salt.
- Place in an oven at 180 oC for 20 mins
- Remove the trout from the oven and carefully peel away the salt. Then gently pull away all the perfectly cooked flesh from the bones.
For the salad
- Fry 4 or 5 slices of the cured ham in a hot pan till they get crispy- set aside
- Slice the new potatoes, then add them to the same pan with a bit of butter and black pepper. Add the halved asparagus and the roasted red pepper.
- To plate simply place the asparagus mix on the bottom of a plate, top this with a good dessert spoon of hollandaise sauce, then place the picked trout on top of this and finish with the crispy ham.
