Deep-Trout Fish Cakes with Lemon Butter and Chive Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 x 300g trout
• 50g butter, melted
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 450g floury potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled until tender
• 10g curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
• plain flour, for dusting
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For

the lemon butter sauce

:

• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp double cream
• 75g chilled unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Brush the trout with half the melted butter and season well. Pop them on a buttered baking tray and roast for 12–15 minutes, until just cooked through. Leave to cool, then peel back the top layer of skin from each fish and run a knife between the 2 fillets. Carefully ease the fish away from the bones, and flake into small chunky pieces. Leave to drain on kitchen paper.

2. Warm the remaining melted butter in a small pan. Add the spring onions and cook gently for 1 minute. Set to one side. Pop the boiled potatoes into a bowl and mash until smooth, then stir in the spring onions, flaked fish and parsley. Season to taste. Using lightly floured hands, shape the mix into four 5cm-thick fish cakes. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

3. To cook the fish cakes, heat the oil in a large frying pan and preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Dust each cake with more flour, add to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a greased baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until hot all the way through.
   

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the wine, lemon juice, shallot and 3 tablespoons of water into a small pan, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Sieve, return to the pan and simmer until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Add the cream and simmer for a bit longer, then lower the heat and gradually whisk in the butter until smooth and thick. Stir in the chopped chives and season to taste. Lift the fish cakes onto warmed plates and spoon over a little of the sauce. Serve with some steamed broccoli or spinach.