Top 50 Gastro Recipes: The Talbot Inn - Chalkestream trout

Head chef Pravin Nayar's recipe for lightly cured Chalkestream trout with Barrington leeks, fregola, marjoram and lemon.

Ingredients:

  • 600g trout fillet, we get our lovely river trout from Hugo at Chalkestream foods by River Test in Hampshire
  • 30g salt
  • 20g sugar
  • Dill, handful chopped
  • Rapeseed oil
  • 4 small, sweet leeks, preferably from an organic farm, ours come from Growswell Farm in Barrington Somerset
  • 50ml cream
  • 50ml milk
  • Butter
  • Salt

For the fregola

  • 150g dried fregola
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Lemon juice
  • Parsley, finely sliced

For the marjoram & lemon oil

  • 100g rapeseed oil
  • Small bunch of marjoram
  • Small bunch of parsley 1/2 lemon
  • Salt

Method:

  • Fillet & skin the trout, remove all bones. Rub the fillets with salt, sugar & dill. Allow to cure in the fridge for 4hours.
  • Gently wipe the trout clean from the cure. When serving place the trout on a tray with baking paper, sprinkle the fish with rapeseed oil, bake to 48C core temp, approximately 10min in 175C oven.
  • Clean, trim and wash the leeks. Cut them into half, lengthways. Remove the inner parts and set aside. Take the outer layers and chop. Place in a pan and cook with the milk/cream until tender. Strain of all the liquid and blitz the leeks to a smooth puree.
  • Season with salt.
  • Cook the fregola, strain and season with salt, pepper, butter, lemon juice, and parsley
  • Pick the marjoram & parsley leaves and place in a thermomix with rapeseed. Heat to 60C and blitz for 10 min until it resembles bright green oil.
  • Season with lemon juice and a little salt.