I love eating fish whether it's battered in cod form, steamed in salmon form, in chunks in a creamy sauce as part of a fish pie or complete with head and tail as part of a fish meze along with octopus, prawns and calamari.
I have eaten trout - rainbow trout - and quite enjoyed it, but the species of Norwegian trout I tasted this week at the Good Housekeeping Institute's dining room was far and away superior to its smaller cousin. To be fair, it was being cooked by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Galmiche but he prepared it quickly and easily with such a simple recipe (so as not to overpower the delicate flavour) I reckon even my teens could re-produce his pan-fried trout with almonds.
Top tip from Daniel by the way - if you have a favourite pan which you like to use to fry fish, but your fish keeps sticking to the base, line it with greaseproof paper and a drizzle of oil. Viola! (as Frenchman Daniel might exclaim in his wonderful accent) no more sticking fish!
Enough about the very lovely Daniel who tolerated me gibbering and grinning like an eejit in this snap above. Back to the fish.
Fjord Trout is farmed in ice-cold Norwegian fjords (hence the name!) which combine salty seawater and sweet meltwater from glaciers. Although farmed the fish have plenty of room - only 3% trout to 97% water and depths of up to 40 metres for them to swim around in.
The fish grow up to 4 to 6 kilos in weight and are beautiful with shimmering blue and silver scales. The vibrant red flesh is firm with a mild (and not very fishy) flavour which lends itself well to raw dishes like sashimi, sushi and marinaded trout. It cooks quickly - quicker than salmon - and can be fried, barbecued, hot or cold smoked, steamed....basically as long as you stick to delicate flavours and marinades you can cook it like salmon whilst reducing the cooking time.
It's low in fat as it stores most of its fat in the belly area (much like me) and is high in Omega 3. Fjord Trout is a great first fish for children to try as I mentioned before it has a very mild flavour.
You will be able to buy it as sides (head etc removed) from Tesco fish counters from October (ish) and you should be able to ask the trained fishmonger in the store to prepare it further for you if you don't have a Michelin starred chef on hand like I did but you'd like it cut into fillets.
The fish is not very bony - blogger Rachel from Vintage Folly happily let baby Dottie munch on some . Happy Dottie seemed to love it and in fact went on to demand seconds, and thirds...
So what flavours work well with Fjord Trout and how do you cook it?
Serve it simply barbecued (sitting on oiled foil) alongside halved, peeled and deseeded cucumber lengths toasted briefly on a barbecue. Try it poached, steamed, panfried or roasted with celery and apple salad, dill and lime, lemon with coriander, or scented with lemongrass, garlic and ginger in creamy coconut sauce. Need inspiration? Check out a selection of recipes on the Seafood from Norway website.
You can make delicate pâté with it, imaginative and tasty canapés (be inspired by the beautiful ones Iscoffed nibbled at the Good Housekeeping Institute dining room) or simply marinade it and enjoy it thinly sliced as a starter or tasty light and healthy lunch.
Here's a marinated Fjord Trout Recipe from the Seafood from Norway website:
Ingredients
600 g trout fillet, skin and boneless
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp (teaspoon) coriander seeds
A pinch pepper, black
1 stalk celery
1 bunch coriander leaves, fresh
1 apple, green
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lime
Method
I have eaten trout - rainbow trout - and quite enjoyed it, but the species of Norwegian trout I tasted this week at the Good Housekeeping Institute's dining room was far and away superior to its smaller cousin. To be fair, it was being cooked by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Galmiche but he prepared it quickly and easily with such a simple recipe (so as not to overpower the delicate flavour) I reckon even my teens could re-produce his pan-fried trout with almonds.
Top tip from Daniel by the way - if you have a favourite pan which you like to use to fry fish, but your fish keeps sticking to the base, line it with greaseproof paper and a drizzle of oil. Viola! (as Frenchman Daniel might exclaim in his wonderful accent) no more sticking fish!
Enough about the very lovely Daniel who tolerated me gibbering and grinning like an eejit in this snap above. Back to the fish.
Fjord Trout is farmed in ice-cold Norwegian fjords (hence the name!) which combine salty seawater and sweet meltwater from glaciers. Although farmed the fish have plenty of room - only 3% trout to 97% water and depths of up to 40 metres for them to swim around in.
The fish grow up to 4 to 6 kilos in weight and are beautiful with shimmering blue and silver scales. The vibrant red flesh is firm with a mild (and not very fishy) flavour which lends itself well to raw dishes like sashimi, sushi and marinaded trout. It cooks quickly - quicker than salmon - and can be fried, barbecued, hot or cold smoked, steamed....basically as long as you stick to delicate flavours and marinades you can cook it like salmon whilst reducing the cooking time.
It's low in fat as it stores most of its fat in the belly area (much like me) and is high in Omega 3. Fjord Trout is a great first fish for children to try as I mentioned before it has a very mild flavour.
You will be able to buy it as sides (head etc removed) from Tesco fish counters from October (ish) and you should be able to ask the trained fishmonger in the store to prepare it further for you if you don't have a Michelin starred chef on hand like I did but you'd like it cut into fillets.
So what flavours work well with Fjord Trout and how do you cook it?
Serve it simply barbecued (sitting on oiled foil) alongside halved, peeled and deseeded cucumber lengths toasted briefly on a barbecue. Try it poached, steamed, panfried or roasted with celery and apple salad, dill and lime, lemon with coriander, or scented with lemongrass, garlic and ginger in creamy coconut sauce. Need inspiration? Check out a selection of recipes on the Seafood from Norway website.
You can make delicate pâté with it, imaginative and tasty canapés (be inspired by the beautiful ones I
Here's a marinated Fjord Trout Recipe from the Seafood from Norway website:
Ingredients
600 g trout fillet, skin and boneless
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp (teaspoon) coriander seeds
A pinch pepper, black
1 stalk celery
1 bunch coriander leaves, fresh
1 apple, green
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lime
Method
• Lay the Fjord Trout skin side down on a large piece of cling film. Mix together the salt, sugar and coriander seeds and sprinkle over the flesh side of the fish, then finish with a little pepper.
• Wrap in clingfilm and put flesh side down in a small baking tray. If you are making two batches, lay the fillets on top of one another, if not, lay a small tray and similar weights to the fillets on top.
• Refrigerate to cure for 8 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish, turning often.
• When cured, remove from the fridge and carefully rinse under cold water to remove the excess cure, then pat dry.
• Slice thinly and arrange on serving plates, topping with tender celery and coriander leaves, apple batonnettes, seasoning and olive oil.
• Drizzle over a little lime juice, only at the end before serving.
I tried the marinated salmon served on tiny discs of wood topped with apple slivers and cannot wait to recreate the recipe at home. It really was delicious and I think it will be a real show-off piece for my Christmas party table. With prices set to be similar to salmon why not try Fjord Trout next time you fancy fish?
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend an information evening at the Good Housekeeping Institute to learn more about this fish and was paid for my time. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.