Seared ocean trout with grilled cos lettuce, peas and salsa verde

Name: Seared ocean trout with grilled cos lettuce, peas and salsa verde
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil; salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper; 3 baby cos lettuces, cut in half lengthways; 1.2kg piece ocean trout (or salmon), pin-boned, skin on; 150g fresh peas, blanched for 30 seconds; 3 heaped tbsp good quality mayonnaise; 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled; 12 caperberries

Karen Martini

June 27, 2016

Seared ocean trout makes a delicious addition to any Christmas table.Marcel Aucar

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:8

Smoked or cured salmon seems to be such a feature at Christmas, but I almost always make ocean trout gravlax. This is another delicious use for a beautiful side of trout (or salmon, if you prefer it) that will feature on my Christmas table this year.

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
3 baby cos lettuces, cut in half lengthways
1.2kg piece ocean trout (or salmon), pin-boned, skin on
150g fresh peas, blanched for 30 seconds
3 heaped tbsp good quality mayonnaise
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
12 caperberries

Salsa verde

1 garlic clove, finely grated
zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp tiny capers
10 cornichons, chopped
6 anchovies, chopped
4 spring onions, mainly white parts, finely sliced
2 green chillies, finely sliced
3 handfuls mint leaves, fine chiffonade
3 handfuls parsley leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat the barbecue or a griddle pan until hot. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C conventional.
2. Oil and season the lettuce halves and grill until you have good grill marks and the lettuce is wilting. Flash in the oven for five to ten minutes – you may not need to do this if the lettuces are small, but you want the lettuce to wilt while still retaining some texture. Cut each half in half again lengthways and set aside.
3. Cut the fish on an angle into eight roughly even pieces, leaving the skin on. Drizzle with oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
4. To make salsa verde, add the garlic, lemon zest, capers, cornichons, anchovies, spring onions, chilli, 120 millilitres of oil and a good grind of pepper to a small bowl and combine. Add the mint, parsley and lemon juice and combine. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and cook the fish, skin-side down first, for about two minutes on each side. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets and the heat of the pan, but the fish should still be a little rare in the middle once cooked.
6. Smear the mayonnaise on a serving plate, place the fish on top, skin-side up, and lay over the lettuce. Scatter over the peas, spoon on the salsa verde, grate over the hard-boiled egg, scatter over the caperberries and serve.
Tips
1. Ask for a side of ocean trout and portion it yourself; you'll be able to cut it the way you like, and you'll typically get a fresher and brighter piece of fish than if it's been pre-portioned.
2. If you have them to hand, you can add other soft herbs such as dill, chervil, chives or fennel tops to the salsa verde. if you have them to hand, such as dill, chervil, chives or fennel tops.
3. Toss some boiled chat potatoes through the mayonnaise to make this a more substantial dish.