Fajita Spiced Trout with TexMex Dips

Fajita spiced rainbow trout fillet with TexMex dips and tortilla chips

Fajitas usually come in the form of sizzling hot pieces of steak or chicken which are added to a tortilla wrap along with such as guacamole and salsa. In this recipe, I have changed that format slightly by serving a fajita spiced rainbow trout fillet with the traditional dips and a bowl of tortilla chips. You could buy the salsa and guacamole already prepared but in this instance I have made both of them from scratch.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1 ripe hass avocado
1 small red chilli pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 large garlic cloves
Small handful coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped (plus extra to garnish)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 inch piece of cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons plain/all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of fajita spice mix plus a little extra for sprinkling on flesh side of trout
2 rainbow trout fillets, skin on
Vegetable oil for frying
Small tub of soured cream
Spicy chilli tortilla chips to serve

Preparing guacamole

Directions

Peel and stone the avocado and add it to a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and mash with a fork. Add half the chilli, 1 of the garlic cloves (peeled and grated) and half the chopped coriander. Season with salt and pepper and stir well with a spoon to fully combine.

Preparing spicy salsa

In a separate bowl, combine the tomato, cucumber, second garlic clove (peeled and finely diced), remaining coriander, remaining lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.

Fajita spiced flour for rainbow trout fillet

Pour some oil in to a large non-stick frying pan (you may need to use two pans, depending upon the size of your trout fillets) and bring up to a medium to high heat. Scatter the flour on a large plate and mix through the two teaspoons of fajita spice as well as some salt and pepper. Pat the trout fillets on their skin sides only in the flour, shake off the excess and lay the trout fillets skin side down in the pan(s). Scatter the flesh sides of the fillets with some more fajitas spice and a little salt and pepper. Fry for around three minutes on a medium to high heat until you can see the trout fillet is cooked most of the way through.

Pan frying fajita spiced rainbow trout fillet

While the trout is frying, spoon the guacamole, salsa and soured cream in to two ramekins in each instance. Garnish the soured cream with some coriander. Place one ramekin of each dip on two serving plates.

Assorted TexMex dips are plated

When the trout is cooked almost all the way through, turn the heat off completely before turning the trout fillets to fry on their flesh sides in the residual heat for one minute only. You should see that the skin is nicely crisp. Lift one fillet on to each plate with a fish slice.

Pan fried rainbow trout fillet is plated with dips

Garnish the trout fillets with a little bit more coriander.

Coriander is used to garnish fajita spiced trout fillet

Serve the trout and dips with a bowl of tortilla chips per person. You should find that the nicely crisped skin can easily be peeled away, perhaps with the aid of the blunt edge of a dinner knife.

Skin should easily peel free from trout fillet in one piece

Valentines Day Recipe: Sizzling, Smoking, Spicy Chicken Fajitas

What are you doing this Valentines Day? Are you heading to your favourite restaurant for a meal? Are you preparing something special at home? If you're cooking at home on Valentines Day, you are not going to want to be spending a great deal of time in the kitchen at the last minute preparing your meal. This chicken fajitas recipe is perfect in that it is prepared with precooked chicken and takes minimal time to throw together, meaning you will have more time to spend with your spouse or special someone. So why not prepare roast chicken for dinner on Monday, ensure you have some leftovers and let this delicious dish put some heat and spice in to your Valentines celebrations?

Ingredients for Two People

2 small chicken leg and thigh portions (or equivalent amount of chicken meat)
1 red bell pepper
1 medium white onion
1 medium strength green chilli
Generous pinch of dried red chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper
Freshly chopped coriander/cilantro to garnish
Vegetable oil for stir frying

To Serve:

6 tortilla wraps
2 small ramekins of homemade guacamole (prepared earlier or even the night before)
2 small ramekins of soured cream
2 small ramekins grated Cheddar cheese

Method

Put the serving dishes for the hot stir fry and two plates to serve the tortilla wraps in to a low oven to heat.

Remove the seeds from the red bell pepper and slice. Peel the onion, quarter it and separate the leaves. Discard the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bones in fairly large pieces. Half the green chilli, scrape out the seeds and membrane and moderately finely chop.

Bring your wok to a high heat and add about a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil. Add the peppers and onion and stir fry for about a minute before putting in the chicken and chilli flakes. Stir fry for a further minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully spoon the stir fry in to the serving dishes and plate with the ramekins of guacamole, soured cream and cheese. Heat the tortilla wraps one at a time in a hot dry frying pan for about fifteen seconds (or follow the instructions on the pack) before transferring to the heated plates.

Below you will find a suggested way of assembling the wraps.

Add some guacamole along the diameter of a wrap, about two-thirds of its length. Top with soured cream.

Spoon on some of the chicken stir fry and finally add some cheese.

Fold the empty flap of the wrap over and one side over that before rolling and tucking in.

Whatever you are doing or eating on Valentines Day and whomever you are spending it with, I hope you have a wonderful time and to see you back here very soon.