This must be my favourite way to eat trout. I remember going fishing for trout at a local reservoir with my dad and sister when I was about 16. We took the trout home, filleted them and hot smoked them in the garden. We ate them immediately with our hands, crouched over the small smoker. I remember it blew me away how delicious they were!
With this dish, the sweetness from the maple syrup works so well with the smokiness of the trout and the spices in the syrup add a festive note.
If you wanted to elevate this dish for a special Christmas treat, trout roe or caviar could be added for a touch of luxury.
Hot smoked trout recipe with a spiced maple glaze, warm potato salad, horseradish and chives
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 x 500g rainbow trout fillet (or 3/4 smaller fillets), skin on, pin-boned
Wood chips / dust for smoking (whichever you prefer)
Spiced maple syrup
250ml maple syrup
50ml water
1 cinnamon stick
10 whole cloves
6 cardamon pods
4-star anise
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 orange, peeled
The cure
500g table salt
500g soft brown sugar
1 lemon
1 lime
Potato salad
400g new potatoes
For the horseradish dressing
50g horseradish cream
50g creme fraiche
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
Pickled shallots
1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings
100ml cider vinegar
100g caster sugar
1 bunch of breakfast radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch picked dill
Method
The day before
Place the sugar and salt for the cure into a large bowl and grate in the zest of the lemon and lime (reserve the lemon for later). Mix well together.
Lay the trout fillet skin side down in a non-reactive tray. Make sure the fish is nice and dry. Take half the cure and gently massage it into the fish.
Then take the rest of the cure and evenly spread it over the fillet of trout. Cover with cling film and place onto the fridge for 6 hours (3-4 hours if using smaller fillets).
Once cured, wash the cure off the fish under cold running water and pat dry with a cloth. (If curing the day before, place back into a tray, cover and refrigerate until the following day.
For the spiced maple syrup place the syrup, water, spices and orange peel into a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Store in a jar, allowing all the spices to infuse until needed.
On the day
For the pickled shallots, add the vinegar and sugar to a small pan and gently bring to a simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the shallot rings. Once cooled, remove the shallots from the vinegar. Keep to one side.
To prepare the fish, start by setting up the smoker you are using. Using a pastry brush, brush the maple syrup evenly over the fish. Once smoking, place the trout into the smoker. Depending on the smoker you are using, this can take anywhere from 15-60 minutes, according to the temperature of your smoker and the strength of smokiness you like.
Once the fish is cooked, remove from the smoker. Give the fish once more brush with the spiced maple syrup and keep to once side.
To prepare the potato salad, place the new potatoes into a large pan of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer. Once cooked, strain through a colander and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Place the creme fraiche, horseradish and chopped chives into a bowl and stir together. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
When the potatoes are cooled but still warm, cut in half or quarters and mix with the horseradish dressing. Place onto a large serving dish.
Remove the skin for the trout and gently flake the fish over the potato salad. Arrange the pickled shallots over the top, along with the picked dill and shaved radishes and serve.
