Low and slow Fjord Trout with tartare dressing, scraps, confit egg yolk and lemon

  • medium
  • 10
  • 3 hours 25 minutes
5.00

This stunning slow-cooked Fjord Trout recipe from Paul Welburn treats the fish to a few different cooking methods by brining then cooking the trout sous vide for a unique texture, before finishing in a hot pan. Paul serves the trout with a number of dazzling elements to evoke the seaside and classic British fish dishes, including crispy 'scraps', lemon gel and a tartare dressing. A true taste of the seaside.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Fjord Trout

  • 2 sides of trout, cleaned, pin-boned and skinned (keep the skin for the crispy garnish)
  • sunflower oil

Lemon gel

Brine

Confit egg yolks

Scraps

  • 100g of plain flour
  • 20g of baking powder
  • 50g of cornflour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 125ml of sparkling water

Tartare dressing

  • 25g of capers, chopped
  • 20g of gherkins, chopped
  • 20g of parsley, chopped
  • 20g of shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, hard-boiled and grated
  • 150ml of grapeseed oil, (don't use olive oil as the flavour will be too strong)
  • 20ml of white wine vinegar

Charred baby gem

To serve

Equipment

  • Water bath
  • Large vacuum bags 2
  • Bar sealer
  • Piping bags 2
  • Deep-fryer
  • Squeezy bottle
  • Blender

Method

1
To begin, prepare the trout skin for the garnish as it will take time overnight to crisp up. Blanch the skin for 1 minute in a pan of salted boiling water then cool in iced water
2
Lay on a rack or baking tray and dehydrate in the oven at its lowest temperature for 3–4 hours or overnight. If you're using a tray and not a rack, you will need to turn the skins halfway through to ensure an even finish
3
Season with salt, break into 10 even pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve
4
To make the lemon gel, add all of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) to a saucepan and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the agar agar to soften
  • 100g of sugar
  • 200ml of water
  • 5g of salt
  • 7g of agar agar
5
Stirring constantly, slowly bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes, or until the agar agar has completely dissolved. It should be completely smooth and you should not be able to see any grains
6
Cool to room temperature, then whisk in the lemon juice. Pass through a fine strainer into a container, cover and set in the fridge for a few hours
7
To prepare the trout, remove as much of the blood line from the fish as possible and trim the edges neatly
  • 2 sides of trout, cleaned, pin-boned and skinned (keep the skin for the crispy garnish)
8
Bring the brine ingredients to the boil in a large pan then remove from the heat and chill immediately over a bowl of iced water before transferring it into the fridge
9
Once cool, add the trout fillets to the brine and set aside for 30 minutes
10
Preheat a water bath to 50°C
11
When ready, wash the trout fillets in cold fresh water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Add to vacuum bags and seal with a bar sealer
12
Cook in the water bath for 10 minutes, then remove and submerge the bags in iced water to chill quickly. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve
13
Preheat a water bath to 64°C
14
To prepare the confit egg yolks, add the eggs to the water bath and cook for 1 1/2 hours
15
To make the batter for the scraps, place all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Whisk in the water until the mixture is a smooth and cream-like consistency. Season and allow to sit for 30 minutes
  • 125ml of sparkling water
  • 100g of plain flour
  • 20g of baking powder
  • 50g of cornflour
  • salt
  • pepper
16
To make the tartare dressing, simply mix together all of the ingredients and season to taste
  • 20ml of white wine vinegar
  • 25g of capers, chopped
  • 20g of gherkins, chopped
  • 20g of parsley, chopped
  • 20g of shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, hard-boiled and grated
  • 150ml of grapeseed oil, (don't use olive oil as the flavour will be too strong)
17
Preheat a deep-fryer to 180°C
18
Transfer the scraps batter to a squeezy bottle and once the oil is hot, drip the batter into the oil in uniform squirts. Once golden and crispy, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt
19
Once the lemon gel has set, blitz in a blender on a high speed until smooth and glossy, scraping down the sides as necessary to ensure even mixing. Taste the gel and add more lemon juice or sugar if needed. Pour into a piping bag to serve and transfer any excess to a clean jar. The gel will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks
20
When the eggs are ready, remove from the water bath, crack open and remove the yolks. Pass the yolks through a sieve, season with salt and pepper and work with a spatula until smooth. Keep in a piping bag until ready to serve
21
To prepare the baby gem, cut each lettuce in half lengthways, wash well then drain. Heat a pan, griddle or plancha until hot then add a dash of oil. Add the lettuces cut-side down, season well and allow them to colour (on the cut-side only)
22
Once dark and almost burnt around the edges, remove from the pan and discard the outer leaves. Season again before serving
23
When ready to serve, remove the trout fillets from the bags and cut into neat 120g portions. Add 1 tsp of oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add a few fillets skin-side down (where the skin once was) and cook until just golden brown. You don't want to overcrowd the pan so cook the fillets in as many batches as needed
  • sunflower oil
24
Divide the fillets between plates and place a little gem half next to each fillet. Add spoonfuls of the tartare dressing and place a crispy fish skin on top of each fillet of trout
25
Pipe dots of the lemon gel around the plate and on top of the lettuce, then place the egg yolk on top of the crispy fish skin. Add the scraps to the lettuce, garnish with sea purslane leaves and sprinkle over some powdered nori. Serve immediadely

Paul Welburn has years of Michelin-star cooking behind him, holding a star for five years at restaurant W1.

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