Salted trout with fennel
I remember when, 20 years ago, we arrived at a restaurant not far from Monaco. I was young, and my knowledge of any fish, rather than salmon, trout, tuna, pike perch, sardine, and herring, was minimal. I wanted to try something new, hoping to hear names so unknown to me, when a waiter proudly offered me salmon. The treasure of this restaurant. A rare treat, as he stated. Something so special there yet so boring to me that I kindly refused. I ended up eating something else, judging the waiter's choice in my head, when I discovered that, contrary to Latvia, where salmon was thrown at people at the market and shops, it was a very different story in France. Twenty years later, living in France, whenever there is a special occasion, salmon or trout appears on our table in unimaginable ways. This way, too.
trout:
500 g trout - 2 fillets
80 g golden caster sugar
80 g coarse sea salt
zest of 1 organic lemon, finely grated
1/2 tsp smoked pepper or plain black pepper
fennel:
200 g very thinly sliced fennel
2 tbsp mild extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1/2 organic lemon, finely grated
sea salt to taste
Start the day before. Mix sugar with salt, lemon zest and pepper. Sprinkle 1/3 of salt in a container. Place one half of the fish, skin side down. Top with 1/3 of the salt mixture. Place the other half of the fish, skin side up. Cover with the rest of the salt. Close the container and leave it in the fridge for at least 12 hours for thinner fillets and a few hours longer for thicker fillets.
A few hours before serving, mix fennel with all of the ingredients and place in the fridge to infuse.
When ready to serve, take out the trout, clean from all of the salt and cut in very thin slices as parallel to the fish as possible. In that way, you get thicker slices and less salt. Place on a plate and top with fennel. If you want, sprinkle over some oil.