Whole Rainbow Trout Recipe

Yesterday Dana and I went to the monthly Good Food markets in Pyrmont, in the green area on the right hand side of this picture:


These markets are incredible. The vegetables and fruit are fresh and straight from the farm and there are heaps of artisinal foods like jams, cheeses, and ravioli. But the best thing about the markets is variety of the protein foods available: goat, lamb, venison, beef, rainbow trout, sausages, guinea fowl, and live snails. I have not yet convinced Dana to let me make escargot, but we've given everything else a go. I'd have to say goat is my favourite meat (after kangaroo of course). We'll be making a roast later in the week, but last night was rainbow trout night. These guys were two for ten dollars:


Very fresh. If you are interested in a whole fish recipe, this one is fantastic and easy to do. It wasn't meant for trout, but for a single fish big enough to feed four people, so you could probably try a large snapper for four or ocean perch for two. The beauty of making a fish for each person is that you don't have to carve the fish for everyone! If you do a single fish, don't forget to give the cheeks to your favourite diner - or save them for yourself.

Dressing:
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely sliced coriander (cilantro) roots and stems
2 tablespoons finely diced ginger
2 tablespoons finely sliced spring onions
2 tablespoons kecap manis (this is Indonesian soy souce)
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
a bit of chilli oil or ground chillis
a bit of sesame oil or olive oil if that's all you have

Throw all of these ingredients together and set aside. Too easy.

Fish:
2 teaspoons whole peppercorns (Sichuan if you have it)
1 tablespoon sea salt
Whole fish - gutted, scaled and cleaned
2 tablespoons finely sliced spring onions
Oil for frying (vegetable or peanut)

Heat the peppercorns in a pan until they start to pop or you can smell them. Remove them immediately and let them cool. Grind the peppercorns and sea salt with a mortar and pestle. You can just use regular salt and pepper, but you'll notice the different. Come on, you're going through all the trouble of making whole fish, why cut corners?

Score the fish diagonally, each cut about an inch apart. Then score in the opposite direction, making diamonds. Do this to both sides of the fish. If you have a wok, it works well for the frying part and makes less of a mess. The rainbow trout in our well-loved wok:


Fry each side for about three minutes. Basically just make sure that all of the flesh is white - not translucent. When you flip or remove the fish, be careful not to let it fall apart. You may want to use two spatulas. Once the fish is done, place them (or it) on a plate with a lot of newspaper or paper towels on it. Pat the fish dry on top with more newspaper or papertowels. We served the fish on couscous, but you can just use greens if you prefer. Dana made her excellent roast pumpkin and goat's cheese salad. The dressing went very well on the couscous and the salad. Anyway, prepare the dish, then lay the fish down. Spoon out some dressing, toss the extra spring onions on, sprinkle the salt & pepper on, and you're all set!:


If you don't have a whole fish per person then you'll have to carve the fish first and dish it out on each plate, or you can put the fish on a bed of iceberg lettuce, place it in the middle of the table and let everyone fend for themselves. This is better presentation but your guests will likely get more bones. Whatever you do, enjoy!