Middle Eastern-inspired Trout & warm herby grains
Ingredients
Herb Crusted Trout:
2 ChalkStream trout fillets
3 garlic cloves, crushed
50g breadcrumbs
30g pistachios, roughly chopped 1 brown onion, finely diced
2 tbsp butter
Zest of a lemon
Splash of Exton Park Brut
Handful of fresh parsley, finely sliced Handful of fresh coriander, finely sliced 1 tbsp zaatar
Warm Persian Salad:
160g freekeh, spelt or pearl barley 1 aubergine, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 tbsp Ras El Hanout
1 tbsp zaatar
1 tsp honey
6 spring onions, finely sliced Handful of fresh mint, finely sliced Handful of parsley, finely sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Olive oil
Tahini Yoghurt:
200g plain Greek yoghurt 1tbsp tahini
1tbsp honey
1 lemon (juice)
2 tsp Ras El Hanout / zaatar
Method
For the trout; finely dice the brown onion, zest 1⁄2 a lemon, finely chop the fresh herbs. For the salad; dice the aubergine, slice the red onion, slice the spring onions, chop the fresh herbs, zest and juice a lemon and chop the pistachios. For the yoghurt; slice a lemon in half.
Boil a kettle. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Toss the sliced onion and aubergine in 2 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp zaatar and 1 tbsp Ras El Hanout. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Once boiling, add the grains and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or according to packet instructions). Once cooked, drain and transfer to large bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of chopped herbs.
Prepare the trout. Bring the trout to room temperate and lay the fillets on a parchment-lined baking tray, season both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Melt 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a non-stick pan on a low heat, add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and a generous splash of Exton Park Brut. Cook for another 3 minutes until the Brut begins to reduce. Remove from the heat and transfer to a lined baking tray.
To the diced onion mix, add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, za’atar, and a handful of fresh herbs to the baking tray. Toast in the oven for a couple of minutes until slightly starting to gain a little colour.
Remove the breadcrumb mix from the oven and spread evenly across the trout fillets, bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on how you like your fish cooked).
Meanwhile, make the tahini yoghurt; add the yoghurt, tahini, honey, lemon juice and your choice of spice to a bowl and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Once your veggies have roasted add them to the bowl of grains along with the spring onions, zest and juice of a lemon and any remaining herbs.
To serve, divide the grains across two warm plates and top with the crusted trout. Drizzle with your preferred amount of tahini yoghurt.
