Trout with lovage, pea purée & crisp spring onions
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- More effort
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 rainbow trout, cleaned (approx 340g)
- 1-2 tsp olive oil
- handful lovage leaves
- 2 tsp butter
- ½ lemon, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 1 lime, zested
- 3 spring onions, cut in half across the middle, then halves sliced lengthways into matchsticks
- 200ml vegetable oil
For the purée
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100g spinach
- 150g frozen peas
- splash of white wine
- 10 lovage leaves, washed
- 1 tbsp crème fraîche or soured cream
To serve (optional)
- new potatoes, sliced and roasted
- green salad
Method
- STEP 1
To make the purée, fry the onion and lemon zest in the butter and olive oil over a low heat with a pinch of salt for 8-10 mins until fragrant. Add the spinach, peas and wine, and cook, stirring, until the wine has evaporated. Add 100ml water, bring to a simmer and cook until the peas are done, about 2 mins. Add the lovage leaves and crème fraîche, stir briefly just to wilt the leaves, then add the lemon juice and blend to a silky smooth purée. Transfer to a pan to heat up before you serve.
- STEP 2
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Rub the fish with a little olive oil and season the fish cavities. Place a couple of lovage leaves in each fish, along with some slices of lemon and a few dots of butter. On a baking sheet, lay out a large piece of foil, bigger than the sheet. Place the fish in the middle of the foil, pull it up over the fish and seal, making a tented parcel. Bake in the oven for 15 mins, then open the foil and cook for 5 mins more. Remove and rest for 5 mins while you make the crisp spring onions. The fish should be delicately pink, moist and very tender, and come away from the skin and bone very easily.
- STEP 3
Put the rice flour and lime zest in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Toss the spring onions with the flour to coat. Heat the oil in a saucepan (make sure it is no more than one-third full) over a medium-high heat. Fry the spring onions and watch as they sizzle. If they’re turning brown or cooking very quickly, turn the heat down. Fry for about 3-5 mins until crisp but not too brown, then drain on kitchen paper.
- STEP 4
To serve, sweep the purée across the plate, top with the trout, then the spring onions. Eat with roast potato slices and a fresh green salad.
