Fish
Baked herb crusted trout recipe
Minimal on ingredients, but rich in flavour, this herb-crusted trout recipe by Tim Maddams for British Trout is a deliciously light dish.
While it’s served warm here, you can enjoy any leftovers as a cold dish the following day. Serve alongside plenty of greens (we think watercress makes an excellent pairing) for a healthy and nourishing lunch.
Trout is teeming with benefits and is a tasty way to enjoy a healthy dose of omega-3s. These are the fatty acids that help to support eye and brain health. Find out more about the benefits of omega-3 in our podcast with Professor Simon Dyall.
The great thing about this herb-crusted trout recipe is that you can adapt it depending on the flavours you most enjoy. Chop and change the herbs used in the crumb with whatever you may have to hand in the kitchen. For instance, replacing the mustard with smoked paprika gives the dish an altogether different feel.
Enjoy alongside a crisp, fresh salad and a few slices of warm sourdough for a simple midweek supper.
Discover more delicious dishes from Liz Earle Wellbeing
Ingredients
- 1 large side trout fillet (around 700g)
- 300ml pot of crème fraiche
- 3 tsp French mustard
- 2 slices of chunky, stale bread
- ½ bunch basil
- ½ bunch parsley
- A little lemon zest, and the juice of 1 lemon
- A pinch of mace (optional)
- Drizzle of light olive oil
- 1 small clove of garlic
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C and line a baking sheet large enough to hold your trout fillet with non-stick parchment, and drizzle this with a little light olive oil
- Tear or cut your stale bread into small chunks and place in a food processor, use the pulse setting to make this into some fairly chunky breadcrumbs. Roughly chop the herbs, grate a little lemon zest and peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add most of these to the bread in the food processor (keeping back a teaspoon or so of chopped garlic, herbs and zest for use in the accompanying sauce), and drizzle in a little light olive oil. Pulse again to make light green herby breadcrumbs, set aside to use later.
- Place the trout fillet skin side down on the baking sheet, check for and remove any pin bones and trim off any fins or fin bones. Drizzle the lemon juice over the fillet, then season it well with salt and pepper as well as a little mace if using.
- In a small bowl, mix the crème fraiche and mustard and brush or spread two thirds onto the trout fillet making sure you cover the whole flesh side of the fillet. Generously sprinkle over enough breadcrumbs to give the fillet a nice crust, taking care that you don’t scatter breadcrumbs directly onto the baking sheet as these will burn.
- Place the trout in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 18 minutes until the trout is firm and the breadcrumbs golden and crispy. Meanwhile, mix the remaining chopped herbs and garlic with the remaining mustard and cream fraiche mix, this can be served with the cooked trout as a garnish sauce.
- Once you are happy the trout is cooked – i.e. it is firm to the touch and piping hot inside – take it out of the oven and leave it to rest for 2 or 3 mins. Serve chunks of the herby, crunchy topped trout with a fresh salad and a spoonful of the herby mustard dressing.
