I find that freshwater fish, for the most part, tend to be much more mild and delicate than their cousins from the ocean. This probably has something to do with a less varied diet and need to exert energy. Therefore, when preparing something like trout, a little extra flavor can really help. This is where the smoker comes in handy, adding some more depth to an often overlooked fish. Trout doesn't have a strong flavor of it's own so smoking it doesn't really cover anything up, it just adds to it.
I salted the trout filets, leaving the skin on (this helps to keep them in one piece) and let them sit for a couple of hours in the fridge. After rinsing the filets and patting them dry I hot-smoked them for about 20 minutes over hickory wood. I wrapped them tightly in plastic-wrap and chilled them overnight.
I whipped cream cheese with black pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest and spread it onto the plate. I broke off pieces of the smoked trout and laid them on top. I placed little piles of the crumble next to the trout. The crumble was made with butter, flour, caraway, fennel seed and sesame seed. The ingredients were mixed together to form a day which was baked til crisp. Once cooled, it was broken up. I finished the plate with a blanched garlic scape and some chive blossoms.
Product:
Garlic Scape - Culton Organics
Chive Blossoms - Blooming Glen Farm
I salted the trout filets, leaving the skin on (this helps to keep them in one piece) and let them sit for a couple of hours in the fridge. After rinsing the filets and patting them dry I hot-smoked them for about 20 minutes over hickory wood. I wrapped them tightly in plastic-wrap and chilled them overnight.
I whipped cream cheese with black pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest and spread it onto the plate. I broke off pieces of the smoked trout and laid them on top. I placed little piles of the crumble next to the trout. The crumble was made with butter, flour, caraway, fennel seed and sesame seed. The ingredients were mixed together to form a day which was baked til crisp. Once cooled, it was broken up. I finished the plate with a blanched garlic scape and some chive blossoms.
Product:
Garlic Scape - Culton Organics
Chive Blossoms - Blooming Glen Farm