Local trout recipe

Local baked trout with herb and caper sauce

A work colleague of my dear mum fishes regularly in a local lake, he catches the most beautiful rainbow trout. I am very lucky to receive the odd fish now and again and I love nothing more than cooking it as below.

Serves 4

One large 4lb rainbow trout or 4 small (gutted and descaled)

50ml dry white wine

50ml water

50g butter cut into cubes

50g butter at room temperature

½ tablespoon flat leaf parsley

½ tablespoon chives

½ tablespoon mint leaves

11/2 tablespoons capers

3 anchovy fillets

1 crushed garlic clove

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ lemon (juiced)

1 lemon cut into slices

Small bunch of each parsley, chives and mint

1 sliced fennel bulb

Olive oil

1 teaspoon plain flour

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven 200oc/400of/gas mark 6

Lightly grease a shallow baking dish with olive oil

Season the trout with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, place into the baking dish.

Place the lemon slices, sliced fennel bulb and the bunches of herbs inside the fish, pour over the wine, drizzle the fish with olive oil and dot with the cubes of butter.

Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes- until the fish flakes off the bone.

Whilst cooking mix the chopped herbs, capers, anchovy fillets and garlic in a pestle and mortar to form a paste or use the flat blade of a knife and a board.

In a bowl mix the lemon juice and mustard together add the paste and mix.

Take the fish from the oven, drain the liquid into a saucepan and cover the fish to keep warm.

Mix the butter with the flour to form a paste- add gradually to the liquid until thickened. Then add the herb paste.

Spoon over the fish and serve.

I love to serve this simply with new potatoes and oven roasted vegetables.