Baked Trout with Fennel & Watercress Salad
This is my favourite fish and chips. Sweet, earthy trout paired with fresh peppery watercress make such an elegant culinary pair. What’s more, in Chinese dietary therapy, this pair balances the water element of the body. The trout, being an oily fish, supports the Kidney yin (water) and jing (essence), while the watercress is a natural detoxifier, leaching toxins from the body’s waterways, just like it purifies rivers and creeks in nature. The chips are just for fun. Enjoy!
Baked Trout with Watercress Salad (couldn’t get any fennel today!)
Cooks tips
If you’re anything like me and didn’t grow up eating whole fish I get that this might seem a little intimidating. Don’t worry, whole fish are actually extremely easy to cook, and I’ve given detailed instructions for portioning out the trout in the recipe. Please be aware that keeping an eye out for small bones as you eat is part of the whole-fish-eating experience.
Don’t through away your fish head and bones! They make beautiful stock. Just put them in a medium saucepan with some chopped leek, and the trimmings from your fennel bulb, plus the thyme sprigs you baked the fish with – they’ll still have loads of flavour to give. Cover with pure water and simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain. You now have a beautiful fish stock to make sauces and soups. Freeze it if you’re not going to use it straight away.
Fennel bulb is delightful in salad when sliced very thinly. If you own a mandolin slice it with that (watch your fingers), or just do your best with a sharp knife.
Living in Trentham, the potato capital of Victoria, we have access to an exciting array of potatoes in winter. I’ve been using maris piper for my oven chips – they’re a delight if you can get them. Otherwise, any other white potato or all-rounder will do the trick.
This recipe uses a whole bruised garlic clove to perfume the potatoes, which is a lovely technique to use for those who are mildly sensitive to garlic – the aroma permeates the chips delightfully, but you don’t actually consume the garlic clove. If you’re following a strict low FODMAP diet or are trying to reduce inflammation in the body, leave it out.
Baked Trout with Watercress & Fennel Salad
Serves 2
Low FODMAP option, gluten free, dairy free.
Ingredients
1 x 500 – 600g whole rainbow trout
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
5 sprigs thyme
1 small lemon, sliced into rounds
Skin-on oven chips:
5 maris piper or other white potatoes, scrubbed
½ tsp dried rosemary
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, skin on, bruised with the back of a knife
Flaky salt
Watercress salad:
1 bunch watercress
1 small bulb of fennel, sliced very thin
A few pieces of roasted lemon from the trout
A squeeze of fresh orange juice
Roasting juices from the trout pan
A drizzle of olive oil
Flaky salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Cut the scrubbed potatoes into wedges and toss them with the olive oil, bruised garlic clove and dried rosemary. Spread them out in a single layer on a lined baking tray. Bake until golden (about 45 mins to an hour).
While the potatoes are roasting prepare the trout. Wash the trout inside and out and wipe off the excess water with kitchen paper or a tea towel.
Season the trout inside and out and rub with the olive oil. Stuff the cavity with the thyme sprigs and some slices of lemon. Place the trout on a lined baking tray and tuck any remaining lemon slices underneath.
Bake for 20 – 25 mins. When it’s ready the flesh will feel like a bruised nectarine when pushed with a finger.
To make the salad, discard any woody parts from the watercress and wash well. Place it in a serving bowl with the sliced fennel. Squeeze in the juice from 3 – 4 of the roasted lemon slices and dribble on some of the juices from the trout-roasting tray. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze or two of orange juice and add salt to taste (no pepper as the watercress is peppery). Toss.
To serve, sprinkle the oven chips with flakey salt. Put the whole fish on its roasting tray in the centre of your dinner table and portion it out. First, slice along the top of the fish from head to tail, then remove the skin from the upwards facing side and discard. You will be able to see the central line in the flesh that shows where the spine is hidden. Cut along this line, then flake the soft flesh away from the centre with a not-very-sharp knife, leaving the spine and ribs behind. At this point, you can remove the whole skeleton by gently pulling the head and allowing the spine to lift off. You can now get to the flesh on the underside of the fish. Check for any stray bones before serving.
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