Rainbow Trout Steamed in White Wine with Fresh Mixed Salad

It has been quite some time since I last featured rainbow trout on this blog and given that it is likely to be classed as a sustainable species of fish, I thought it was time to put that right. Rainbow trout is native to North America but it was introduced to British waters many years ago. It is widely farmed and many waters are regularly stocked for the benefit of anglers. This recipe may therefore be perfectly suited to anyone who has just been on a successful fly fishing trip.

This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

2 small rainbow trout
4oz pack of mixed green salad leaves
1/2 a red onion
12 to 15 pitted black olives
2 whole sprigs of fresh dillweed
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper
Fresh bread as an accompaniment

Method

The only cooking involved in this recipe is of the rainbow trout. Getting the trout in to the oven is therefore the first step. The oven should be put on to preheat to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5.

The trout should be gutted (have your fishmonger do this for you if you like) but otherwise left whole. They should then be washed thoroughly under running cold water. Line a deep baking tray with tinfoil. Season the cavities of the fish with salt and white pepper and place a whole sprig of dill inside. Lay the trout on the foil and pour the wine over the top. It may not seem like much wine to use but the idea is to steam the trout, not poach them like in a fish kettle.

Take a second sheet of tinfoil and use it to cover the tray, making sure it is tucked in well at the edges to seal the fish inside and prevent the steam escaping. Place the tray in to the oven for twenty minutes. (Note that larger fish will take longer, with the rule of thumb for larger rainbow trout being approximately fifteen minutes per pound.)

While the rainbow trout are baking/steaming, the salad should be prepared. The salad leaves should be placed in a dish large enough to accommodate the trout. The red onion half should be sliced, separated in to strips and added along with the olives. The olive oil should be poured over the top and the mix seasoned with salt and white pepper prior to being carefully tossed.

The baking tray should be removed from the oven with oven protecting gloves and the tinfoil very carefully pulled aside, as the escaping steam can cause painful burns. Take a metal skewer and pierce each fish at its thickest fleshy part. Significant resistance means that more cooking time is required. Using a fish turner, lift the fish and place them on top of the salad.

Serving the trout is possible in a number of ways. You may wish to take the dish as pictured at the top of this post to the table and serve at that point, or alternatively, you may wish to separate the trout in to big flakes to scatter over the salad as below. Either way, some fresh crusty bread serves as an excellent accompaniment.

Note: The latest of my dedicated sustainable fish recipe sites to be updated is this one:

Awesome Recipes for Sustainable Fish