The tangy, crunchy stuffing and lively vermouth sauce make this colourful fish dish particularly suitable for serving at any special occasion.
ingredients
serves 4
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Finely grated rind of 1/2 orange
1 small stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1/2 small dessert apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 level teaspoons chopped fresh mint
About 1 tablespoon fromage frais
Freshly ground black pepper
4 rainbow trout, each about 8 ounce, gutted, cleaned, heads removed, washed and dried
Wooden cocktail sticks to secure
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 large orange
About 1/4 pint dry vermouth
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Orange slices and sprigs of fresh mint to garnish
method
OVEN: Preheat to 180°C (350°F)
1. Mix the breadcrumbs, orange rind, celery, apple and 1 teaspoon of the mint in a bowl. Stir in enough fromage frais to make a moist, crumbly stuffing. Season with pepper.
2. Fill the cavity in each trout with stuffing and secure with cocktail sticks. Lay the trout in a shallow ovenproof dish.
3. Strain the lemon and orange juice into a measuring jug and make up to 1/2 pint with the vermouth. Stir in the garlic, shallot, chopped parsley and remaining mint.
4. Pour the mixture over the trout. Cover and cook in the heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork.
5. Lift the fish onto a warm serving dish and remove the cocktail sticks. Pour the cooking liquid into a small pan and boil rapidly until reduced to a cupful. Pour it round the trout and garnish with orange slices and mint sprigs.
Serve new potatoes and a watercress salad with the fish. Leave the diners to remove the trout skin for themselves.
more information
To remove the skin from cooked trout, make a cut right along the back of the fish, lift a corner of the skin at the head end and peel the skin back to the tail.
