Trout gravadlax
Trout gravadlax is a great recipe for a light lunch or starter, especially if served with broad bean and cucumber salad. We've tweaked a classic Swedish dish by replacing the salmon with trout. It makes for a quick and easy alternative to smoked salmon—and you can make it the day before serving.
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus marinating overnight
Serves: 4
50g (2oz) sea salt (Maldon or Cornish)
30g (11/4oz) caster sugar
1tsp coarsely ground black pepper
15g (1/2oz) bunch dill
4 trout fillets, approx 120g (41/2oz) each, all bones removed, skin on
2tsp Cognac
For the salad:
1dsp Dijon mustard
1tsp caster sugar
1dsp white wine vinegar
3dsp groundnut or other flavourless oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
300g (10oz) broad beans (shelled weight), blanched, outer skin removed
1/2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
1 To make the gravadlax cure, mix together the salt, sugar, black pepper and a few roughly chopped sprigs of dill. Place the trout fillets on a large plate or plastic tray. Sprinkle the Cognac evenly over the fillets and then sprinkle over the salt and sugar mixture. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper over the trout fillets, place a plate or tray on top and then weight down the trout with a couple of tins. Place in the fridge for 24 hours. After this time, wash the trout fillets well under cold water to remove the cure and pat dry.
2 Finely chop the remaining dill and sprinkle evenly over each trout fillet, pressing down well. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
3 To make the salad, place the Dijon mustard, sugar and vinegar in a bowl, stir well then gradually whisk in the oil. Add the shallots, broad beans and cucumber and mix well.
4 To serve, thinly slice the trout fillets from the tail end. Divide evenly between the plates, along with the broad bean and cucumber salad, and serve. The gravadlax will keep for 4 days covered in the fridge.
Per serving: 300cals, 12g fat, 1g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrate
Fish tricks
Clever tips to help make your trout gravadlax simpler…
We use surgeon's tweezers (from specialist pharmacies) to remove the small pin bones. When filleting your trout, use a very sharp knife and start from the tail end, keeping it almost flat.
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