Pan Roasted Norwegian Fjord Trout with lentils, crispy bacon and chervil

Fat juicy fillets of pink fleshed fish is laid out ready for us to cook. But first, a demo in fish filleting by Daniel Galmiche, the Michelin Starred Chef.

The fish is not Salmon but Norwegian Fjord Trout. It is totally sustainable, has a more delicate flavour than salmon and you can identify the difference by looking at the fat distribution. Salmon has fat spread through the meat whereas the Fjord Trout accumulates fat around the belly. For this reason and its mild flavour, it has become a favourite fish for Sashimi. This fish is unique as it’s the only trout that lives in saltwater fjords.

This recipe is a very simple fish recipe that anyone can cook at home. It does not involve any complicated cheffy techniques and the inclusion of the lentils with crispy lardon is a very hearty and tasty accompaniment to the gorgeous Fjord Trout fillets. I will definitely be cooking with this fish more often. Currently, the Norwegian Fjord Trout is available at the bigger Tesco shops.

That’s a Norwegian Fjord Trout – takesa  few years to grow to full size at 4-6kgs.

Filleting the Norwegian Fjord Trout!

Top Tip: Cook the fish on some grease proof paper, this will prevent the fish from sticking to the pan. If you place a pan on top of the fish when you first put it on the pan, it will stop the fish from curling up as it hits the heat.

Super fresh, bright eyes

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Pan Roasted Norwegian Fjord Trout with lentils, crispy bacon and chervil

Ingredients

• 4 trout fillets each weighing 150g
• vegetable oil
• 1 knob of butter
• sea salt

Lentils

• 200 g of puy lentils picked over and rinsed
• 1 shallot peeled
• 1 carrot small, peeled
• 1 bouquet garni made with 1 thyme sprig, 1 parsley sprig
• 1 garlic clove unpeeled
• 1 handful of chervil leaves only, chopped
• 75 g of smoked bacon
• French vinaigrette for the lentils
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar white
• wine vinegar or balsamic
• 125 ml of olive oil or rapeseed oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• To serve micro cress chervil rocket

Instructions

• To begin, place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with cold water.
• Bring to the boil and skim away any foam that rises to the surface
• Add the shallot, carrot, bouquet garni and garlic, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Meanwhile, your kitchen will start to smell of the lovely thyme that's infusing in the stock. (We used lemon thyme which produces an amazing aroma while it's cooking).
• Strain, reserving 2 tbsp of the cooking liquid and remove and re- serve the shallot and carrot.
• Discard the garlic and bouquet garni.
• To make the vinaigrette, whisk together mustard, a dash of the lentil cooking liquid and the vinegar until combined. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously until emulsified.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper - this will need to be mixed again before use.
• While the lentils are cooking, cut the bacon into lardons or small pieces and place in a pan over a medium heat
• Cook the bacon, stirring frequently until the fat renders down and the bacon starts to brown and crisp up.
• When ready, remove from the pan and onto absorbent paper towel. Leave in a warm place until
• required
• To cook the trout, heat a large non-stick pan over a medium-high heat with a small dash of vegetable oil
• Season the skin lightly and place skin-side down in the pan, cooking for 3-4 minutes.
• Turn each fillet carefully, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and add a knob of butter
• Once the butter is melted and foaming, remove the pan from the stove and allow the residual heat to cook the fish for 1 additional minute.
• It should still be pink in the middle and feel very tender to the touch
• During the last few minutes of cooking the trout, return the lentils to the heat, cut the shallot into long rustic strips and the carrot into a combination of fine dice and julienne.
• Add a dash more of the reserved lentil cooking liquid. Once hot, remove from the heat and
• finish with the vinaigrette and chopped chervil
• To plate, add the hot lentils to each bowl, followed by the seared trout.
• Finish with the shallot, carrot, crispy bacon, rocket and cress.

Eat Cook Explore was a guest of GB Chefs and Norwegian Seafood.