Inspiration |“This is a vibrant, early summer dish using the best, seasonal British ingredients but given a decidedly Italian feel in terms of flavour.Sea trout is in season early summer and the British coastal variety is the best available. We love using it as its so versatile:it can be served raw, semi cured, pan roasted or steamed. It has all the qualities of salmon but with a leaner flesh and a more pronounced flavour.Here we roast it with the skin on for texture and flavour and serve it ‘medium’ so the flesh is beautifully moist.If your fishmonger can’t find sea trout then a decent salmon, such as organic, will be an adequate replacement and the clams could be replaced with mussels.”
Serves 4 as main course or 6-8 as a tapas or starter
Ingredients
4x 200g fillets of sea trout, skin intact (cut these smaller if you wish to serve as a tapas)
Couple of handfuls of sea clams (parloude or venus), washed under cold running water for a few minutes and drained
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and stalks discarded
1 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 medium green courgettes, sliced into rounds
2 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed
1 small glass of white wine
1 small red chilli cut in half and deseeded
Olive oil for cooking
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
Method
Turn a grill on to a medium heat.
Place the bread, garlic and parsley in a food processor and pulse blend until everything has combined and then add a good glug of olive oil and blend further until you achieve a fine, green crumb. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
Heat a medium size saucepan over a high heat then throw theclamsandthe glass of winein. Place a lid or some foil on top of the pan and give it a shake. You should let the pan steam until the clam shells open. If any of the clams remain closed then they should be discarded.
When the clams are openremove from the pan to cool down.
Toss the courgettes in a bowl with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat and add the courgettes. Give them a toss through in the pan and slightly lower the heat. You want to lightly colour the courgettes and cook them through until just tender. Finely slice the chilli and then toss this through the courgettes. When cooked through remove the courgettes from the pan, reserve and keep warm.
Take some of the crumbs and sprinkle it into each clamshell, on top of the clam meat. You should slightly mound it so you have a good crust to clam ratio.
Heat a good non-stick sauté pan over a high heat and add a lug of olive oil. Season the trout fillets and then place skin side down in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and press the fillets, gently, into the pan. Cook the trout until crisp and brown and then turn over and finish cooking
A minute before the trout is ready place the clams under the overhead grill. Divide the courgettes between serving plates and top with the trout fillets. Remove the clams from the grill, the crust should have turned light brown and crisp, and place them around the courgettes.
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