Serves 6 or 8 depending on your catch! This is a good dish to make for a dinner party as each part can be made in advance and simply warmed up on the night.

Catch yourself a good size trout and scale, fillet and pin bone the fish, cut each fillet into equal sized portions, roughly from an 8LB trout you should yield 8 good size main course portions, once this is done keep in the fridge until your ready to cook it.

Potato Puree:-
8 Good Sized Potatoes (estima or marfonna are good)
Double Cream
175g Salted Butter
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Herbs de Provence

Method:-

Spinach:-
For the spinach simply wash three to four bags of baby spinach leaves and blanch in rapidly boiling salted water for 20 seconds and plunge straight into iced water to refresh.

Strain and squeeze excess water out, then wrap in two tea towels and leave for a few hours with a weight on top (Maybe a few tins or a bottle of wine!!)

Mussel & Saffron Veloute:-
1 Kg Cornish Mussels (Cleaned and de-bearded)
4 Shallots (Chopped)
2 Sticks Celery (Chopped)
1 Leek (Chopped)
1 Bulb of Garlic (Cut in Half)
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 Vanilla Pod (Split)
1 Bottle Dry White Wine
500ml Double Cream
Fish Stock Cube or Powder
Olive oil
Good Pinch of Quality Saffron

Method:-

To make the veloute, sauté the vegetables, garlic and fennel seeds in a large sauce pan on a medium to high heat until they start to colour, then add the wine, the reserved cooking liquid and fish stock and bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by two thirds then add the vanilla, saffron and the cream, bring to a boil again and reduce until the veloute starts to thicken a little, you want it to coat the back of a spoon, season with salt and pepper to taste, remember the mussels cooking liquid can be quite salty so add your seasoning a little at a time, the sauce should have a nice pale yellow colour to it, if not then you can add some more saffron. Once ready, strain your sauce through a sieve and keep warm or chill until required

Vegetables:-
Choose a selection of your favourite vegetables on the day, blanch them in salted water then refresh in iced water and cut then into manageable pieces, (I like to use asparagus, mange tout, courgettes, baby carrots and samphire) but it is up to you.

When Ready To Serve:-

1. Heat up the potato puree and spinach and keep warm.
2. Heat up the veloute
3. Pan-fry your trout fillets skin side down first in a non-stick pan in a little olive oil, turn the fillets over and add a good knob of butter and a splash of lemon juice, baste the fish with the butter and pop into the oven for 5 minutes .
4. While the fish is cooking, add the mussels and vegetables to the veloute and check the seasoning, you can add some chopped dill or chives it is you want to at this stage, try not to boil the veloute as this will overcook the mussels and vegetables.
5. Once the fish is cooked remove from the pan and rest for a few minutes while you plate up.
   Neatly place or pipe the potato puree onto the plates then place the spinach next to the puree (if the spinach is watery, pat dry on a cloth) Place you trout fillets on top and then spoon your veloute around, ensuring each plate has a good mix of vegetables and mussels. Serve at once and enjoy!!

Notes: -
If you’re not a fan of mussels, you could use cockles or clams or shrimps they would all go well with the trout.

A good white wine like a South African Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay would work well, I hope you enjoy this dish!

Catch yourself a good size trout and scale, fillet and pin bone the fish, cut each fillet in to equal sized portions, roughly from an 8LB trout you should yield 8 good size main course portions, once this is done keep in the fridge until your ready to cook it.

In this main course recipe I have used chorizo to add a little spice and extra depth of flavour to enhance the delicate nature of the trout. However, if you’re a vegetarian or simply don’t like chorizo, then leave it out of the ragout.

Ragout Ingredients:
1 large Spanish onion (finely chopped)
3 or 4 leeks depending on size (washed cut into quarters and chopped finely)
200g good quality spicy chorizo (chopped into small cubes)
1 glass of white wine
250ml double cream
1 vegetable stock cube or jelly (Jelly is better)
Good pinch of mixed herbs.
Salt and pepper to taste
75g Butter
Splash of olive oil

Method:

1. In a large sauce pan melt the butter and olive oil together and add the onions and the chorizo and cook slowly for about five minutes (the chorizo will release its colour and oils)
2. Add the leeks turn up the heat and cook for about five minutes stirring ever so often, then add the stock, herbs and white wine, keep cooking until most of the wine has reduced then add the cream, bring up to a boil then turn down to a simmer and cook until the leeks are tender and the cream has thickened the sauce, season to taste (don’t be shy with the salt!)
3. Place the ragout in to a suitable container and chill until required.

Tiger Prawns:
1 bag of frozen, peeled and de-veined tiger prawns
1 lime (grated zest and half juice)
½ tsp crushed coriander seeds
Splash soy sauce
Splash fish sauce
Good splash of sweet chilli sauce
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Method:

1. Defrost the amount of prawns you need ( I would use three or four per person ) pat dry in a tea towel and season with plenty of salt and pepper.
2. Heat a good sized frying pan to its smoking hot, add a splash of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan, and then add your prawns, toss then gently and put in the coriander and the zest,
3. Keep shaking the pan and try to ensure the prawns are getting coated in the coriander, after a minute or two add the rest of the ingredients and reduce the heat and cook for another few minutes
4. Remove from the pan and place on a tray to cool.
   
5. Spiced Tomato Dressing:

2 Shallots (finely chopped)
50ml White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Cajun spice
2 tbsp Dried tomato powder (or 3tsbp chopped sun-dried tomatoes)
200ml Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Sauté the shallots in a sauce pan with a little of the oil until soft,
2. Add the Cajun spice and cook for a few minutes (this cooks out the spice so if you want your dressing hotter or milder adjust the amount of Cajun spice used)
3. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil and reduce by half, then stir you tomato powder or dried chopped tomatoes, then stir in the remaining oil and season to taste.
4. Cool until needed.
5. After using store the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge.

To also garnish this dish you could serve some buttered new potatoes or a salad.

When ready to serve to your guests, you will need to reheat the creamed leek ragout in a small pan and keep warm.

Pan-fried your trout fillets skin side down first in a non-stick pan in a little olive oil until the skin starts to crisp up, turn the fillets over and add a knob of butter and a splash of lemon juice, pop your tiger prawns on top of the fish and baste with the butter, season and place in hot oven for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile get your plates ready and place your warm leek ragout and your chosen garnish on them, remove the fish from the oven and rest of a tea towel for a minute and then place on the ragout, stir the dressing well and drizzle over the fish and serve at once.

This recipe would make a lovely summer time dish, enjoyed eaten outside with a good bottle of sauvignon blanc or pinot gris.

APRIL 2013 - TRIO OF LECHLADE RAINBOW TROUT

The first task is to catch yourself a10lb Lechlade rainbow trout! Gold head damsels I would recommend!

There are three elements to this dish:

• Firstly a soft boiled quail egg, which is wrapped, in a smoked trout & potato mix, then it’s breaded and deep fried.
• Second is a soft herb and saffron trout mousse with is served cold.
• Third is a cured Gravadlax tian with capers, tarragon and crème Fraiche.

All these elements are garnish with a small garnish to accompany the dish. This dish is designed to be a starter, however it would make a good lunchtime dish and also you could increase the quantity on the plate to make a good size main course. All the elements can be prepared in advance to would be straightforward yet excellent starter for a dinner party.

Ingredients for the Gravadlax:
1 trout fillet (pin boned and skinned)
60g Maldon sea salt
20g caster sugar
1tbsp crushed black pepper
100g chopped fresh dill

Method:

1. Mix the salt, sugar and black pepper together and sprinkle over the fish and lay the fillet in a dish big enough to accommodate the fish and then sprinkle over 70g of the chopped dill and press down evenly, cover with cling film and weigh down with a plate or something heavy and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. The next day drain off the liquid from the fish and rinse under the tap and pat dry, the sprinkle over the remaining chopped dill evenly and wrap up in cling film until needed.
   

Ingredients for the Tian:
Chopped Gravadlax
Finely chopped capers
Finely chopped gherkins
Finely chopped tarragon
Approx 250gCrème Fraiche
Keta Caviar
Salt & Pepper to taste
White wine vinegar

Method:

1. When you know how many people you will be serving you can gauge the quantities of the above ingredients you will require, remember the capers, gherkins and tarragon and all strong tastes so you should add them bit by bit until you feel the right balance is there.
2. 
   As a guide I would use 2tbsp of fish to ½ tsp of each capers, gherkins and tarragon.
3. So make the tian simply mix the chopped Gravadlax, capers, gherkins, and tarragon, taste, then add a little crème fraiche to bind the mixture, season and taste, once your happy place the mix into a 4cm cutter, press down with a spoon and leave about 1 ½ cm free at the top, then place crème Fraiche on top of the mixture and smooth off with a knife, next place a little of the caviar on top of the tian,set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Mix a small amount of crème fraiche in a bowl and gradually whisk in some white wine vinegar, until you have a smooth and semi-thick consistency, season with salt and pepper, this is your simple crème fraiche dressing and keep it the fridge until required.
   

Ingredients for the Mousse:
225g trout fillet (pin boned and skinned)
Good pinch of salt
1 whole egg & 1 egg white
Approx 250ml double cream
Chopped fresh herbs (dill, chervil & flat parsley)
Pinch of good quality saffron
Salt and cayenne pepper to season
Lemon & Lime segments and a little picked lettuce

Method:

1. Chop the fish into small cubes and place in a food processor with the salt, process until the fish forms a ball then add the eggs and continue processing and slowly add ½ the cream, remove the mousse and if possible push through a sieve and place a bowl in the fridge to chill for ½ hour. Once the mousse is chilled beat in the remaining cream and the mousse should be of dropping consistency, if not then add a little more cream. Then season with a more salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper, and then fold in the herbs and saffron.
2. Place the mousse into a piping bag, pull out the cling film and pipe a 15cm sausage shape onto the clingfilm leaving at least 5cm free at each end, gently fold the cling film over and press down around the sausage and roll the cling film up, cut away from the box and pinch and both ends by the mousse and roll on the worktop until the sausage is tight, then rewrap again in cling film. Put on the fridge to chill.
3. You should be able to make two or three sausages from the mix.
4. Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil and pop the sausages into the water and cover with a lid, then turn the heat off (the water must not boil after the sausages are in) after ten minutes remove the sausages from the water place in a flat container and cover with ice cubes and put in the fridge.
5. Once chilled and set, carefully remove the cling film wrapping and you can slice the mousse with a sharp serrated knife on a angle or maybe three or four small round slices per person, once done keep in the fridge until your ready to serve.
   

Ingredients for the Crispy Smoked Trout Quail Egg:
The rest of the trout fillet
3 good-sized potatoes
I bulb of garlic
Milk
Salt & Pepper
12 Quail eggs (cooked in boiling water for 2minutes and then refreshed in ice water, then peeled)
Panko breadcrumbs
Mixed herbs
Flour
Beaten egg
Vegetable oil for deep frying.

About 6 slices of peeled and thinly sliced cucumber per person

Method:

1. Peel ¼ the potatoes, place them in a pan with the garlic (leave whole) and cover with milk add a good pinch of salt, bring to a boil and simmer to cook through, stain in a colander (remove the garlic) and either puree by hand masher or beat in a food mixer until smooth season and add a few mixed herbs, spread onto a tray and leave to cool. You want the potato to be as dry as possible.
2. To smoke the trout you will need a heavy casserole about 30cm in diameter and 15cm deep with a tight fitting lid, a 10-20cm flan ring and a 25cm round wire rack, also a good quality foil.
3. Cover the base of the pan with a double layer of foil, place the flan ring on top, make a mix of 3tsbp uncooked rice 2tbsp Demerara sugar, 2 star anise, 5 cloves, 10 peppercorns and the contents of 5 lapsang souchong tea bags. Place in the flan ring and put on a high heat, meanwhile season the fish with sea salt and black pepper and put onto the wire rack (you may need to cut the fish in halve) once the pan has started to smoke turn down the heat and place the wire rack on top of the flan ring and put the lid on, adjust the heat accordingly, you want smoke but not bellows of it! Cook the fish for about ten minutes but just check the flesh has firmed up, take the whole pan of the heat and leave the lid on and allow the fish to cool in the pan, this will absorb all the flavours of the cooling smoke.
4. Once the fish is cold, flake the flesh into a bowl ensuring there are no bones or gristle, then you add some of your dry potato mix, you want ¾ fish to ¼ potato, beat until the mixture is well combined, add a pinch of mixed herbs and check the seasoning
5. To make you quail eggs, pull out a 20cm piece cling film and place on to the worktop then put a ½ tbsp of the fish mixture just off centre and then fold the cling film over and press down on the mixture with your hands ensure a even spread, pull the film back and place a egg in the centre of the mixture then cut the film from the box and lift up with your hand and wrap the mixture around the egg using the cling film twist the cling film almost like a bubble, try to ensure all of the egg is covered with the fish mixture, also be careful not to burst the egg.
6. Remove the cling film and if needed manipulate the mixture around the egg ensuring a even covering, roll your egg in the flour then into the beaten egg and finally into your panko breadcrumbs, place in the fridge until required.
7. This process can be a little tricky, however the lighter your touch is the better results you will have. Also if you cannot get panko breadcrumbs then regular dried white breadcrumbs will be fine.
   

Plating the dish:-
Once you have all your elements ready to go, and your guests ready for there starter, then plating can comence!!

Take a long narrow plate and place your sliced cucumber in a row on left side of the plate, in the middle smear and small amount of your crème fraiche dressing and place the tian on top and remove from the ring, on the right, place your sliced mousse with the segments and lettuce by the side, meanwhile deep fry the quail egg for about three minutes until golden brown, drain and season with sea salt and place on the cucumber, drizzle a little olive oil on the plate and serve at once.

I hope you enjoy this dish.