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Smoked Trout with Horseradish Cream and Cucumber Salad
RICK MOONEN
of
Oceana
Serves six.
Marinade:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
6 12-ounce rainbow trout, boned (left whole, skin on)
Horseradish cream:
1 cup crème fraîche
1/4 cup fresh grated horseradish (or drained from the bottle)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Cucumber salad
Cucumber salad:
2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into very fine strips on a mandoline
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips on a mandoline
1 head radicchio, finely shredded
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Soak 1 cup of fruitwood smoking chips in water for an hour and drain.
Marinade:
Mix the marinade ingredients together with 2 cups water, making sure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
Place the trout in a glass casserole dish with a lid, open, flesh-side-up, and pour the marinade over the interior. Close the fish and roll gently from side to side to ensure even coating. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Horseradish cream: Whip the crème fraîche until thick. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
To grill-smoke trout: Start a fire in a Weber grill using hardwood charcoal. When the embers are evenly glowing and the fire is hot, carefully rake them to one side. On the other side, place a pan filled with water. Sprinkle presoaked hardwood chunks on the embers to start the smoking.
Place the trout skin-side-out on the cooler half of the grill, over the water. Cover the grill, leaving the top and the bottom vents open. Grill-smoke the trout for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size. Don't remove the lid during the first 10 minutes.
Peek at the trout's inside flesh to test -- it's ready when the meat is white. If it's still translucent, cover and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the grill.
Place the trout on a cutting board and peel the skin off while it's still warm. Place the fish on a plate, and serve with a dollop of horseradish cream and cucumber salad.
Cucumber salad:
Whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the onion, garlic, cucumber, carrots, and radicchio, and toss together. Stir in the mint.
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