This easy dinner party dish doubles as a glam mid-week dinner
This trout recipe will take you from midweek dinners to weekend entertaining.
I have a twin sister who works in fashion. Like many twins, we are similar, but we do differ on one big thing – she is more concerned with what she will wear, and I am more concerned with what I will eat; she likes to buy nice handbags and I like to buy nice cheese. My sister has a knack of taking an outfit from day to night with ease. For those fashion inclined, apparently this ability comes down to the staples – the pieces of clothing that will take you from a day in the office into date night, and some clever styling.
If you like this try
Elizabeth Hewson’s impressive seafood pasta
Lennox Hastie’s luxurious fish pie
As a food person, I’m running with this idea and applying the same logic to our favourite recipes. Let’s call these staple recipes. They’re recipes that work for both mid-week dinners and weekend feasting. From date night to long lunches. It’s all about how you present the dish, and by that I don’t mean adding more to it, but rather how it is served. As my sister would say, how you style it.
Take today’s recipes: for entertaining, serve this lemon and herb encrusted trout as one whole side of fish then style it up with some beautiful sides, like this summery take on a potato Dauphinoise. For a lovely mid-week meal, serve the fish in single portions (one fillet per person) alongside a simple green leaf salad. Two different occasions, one staple dish.
Obviously cooking time will differ between a large side of fish and single portions, so you’ll need to adjust the recipe here.
Like steak, I find how you enjoy your fish to be personal. I prefer my trout blushing in the middle so I err on the shorter side of cooking time. If you prefer a well-done fish, simply leave it in for a few more minutes – but remember that the fish will continue to cook as it rests. Thickness and size of your fish fillet plays a role here too. If you can, buy the centre-piece cut of fish rather than the tail as it’s thicker and will cook more evenly.
To give this staple even more wears, use the crumb recipe across other dishes too – bake it over chicken breasts, lamb cutlets and roast vegetables. And serve it with my new-fashioned potato gratin.
Lemon and herb crusted trout
This crumb will happily cover four fillets or one side. Adding the zest last gives the crumb a nice tang. Feel free to use salmon if you prefer.
Ingredients
- ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped (plus extra to garnish)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 500-600g trout, skin on (or 4 portions), preferably centre cuts
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra to serve
- Parsley and dill to garnish (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan forced). In a small bowl, combine the parsley, panko, fennel seeds, garlic powder, chilli and olive oil.
- Place fish skin side down on to an oven dish lined with baking paper. Spread mustard over fish – this will be our “glue” to hold the crumb. Pile parsley crumb over the top of the fillets, flattening and patting it down to help it stick.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes for a whole side of fish, or less for fillets, depending on thickness of fish. If you are cooking portions, 6-10 minutes should be about right. As soon as the fish comes out of the oven, zest over the lemon generously then squeeze over juice. Top with extra parsley and dill, if using. Serve with extra lemon. Serves 4