Melbourne’s Circl describes itself as a wine house – it places equal importance on wine and food, with the intention of making fine wines accessible. Executive chef Elias Salomonsson has built his menu around the venue’s extensive wine library, drawing influences from his Swedish heritage.
This dish, which is perfect for Good Friday lunch or any other time you’re after a speedy showstopper, also riffs on Salomonsson’s background. Scandi-style ingredients like horseradish, capers and dill complement the delicate flavour of the rainbow trout, and the egg-spiked emulsion that tops it adds an unusual twist.
“I love to serve this type of dish with potatoes that have been seasoned with lots of fresh herbs, butter and maybe even a touch of crème fraîche,” says Salomonsson. And he has a few tips for perfecting the fish itself. “I love to butterfly my trout so it cooks beautifully on the barbeque or in a pan. It is a bit tricky but you can always get your fishmonger to do it for you.
“Another helpful trick that I follow: always try and keep the skin on the fish as dry as possible. If time allows, leave it uncovered in the fridge, skin side up, for a much better result – when it cooks it won’t stick and [it] makes for a super crispy skin.”
Salomonsson cooks this dish on a barbeque or a plancha.
Circl’s butterflied rainbow trout
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 whole rainbow trout, butterflied
25gm good quality dijon mustard
25gm white wine vinegar
200ml neutral oil
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Horseradish, to taste (fresh is best, but if not available you can use a horseradish condiment)
4 eggs
1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tsp dill, chopped
Lemon, charred, for garnish
Method
Start cooking the fish on high heat on the barbeque to begin getting that skin nice and crispy. Once the meat starts changing colour, you can move it to the side of the barbeque and let the heat gently cook the fish through.
Now for the emulsion. Grab a stick blender or food processor (e.g. a Thermomix). It can also be done by hand, but will be much faster if using a machine.
Start by blending the mustard and vinegar together. Once combined, slowly start adding your oil into the mix in a thin, steady stream while blending/whisking, the same way you would if making a mayonnaise. The consistency you are after is a nice, thick emulsion that holds together on a spoon and is not too runny.
Season with salt, white pepper and horseradish to taste. I like my horseradish, so I tend to put a good amount in.
Boil a saucepan of water, then boil the eggs for 8 minutes. When cooked, transfer into ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the eggs are cool, peel and dice. I recommend pushing the eggs through a wire resting rack to speed up the process.
Add the boiled eggs to the emulsion along with chopped capers, chives and dill and fold it all through the emulsion. Garnish with lemon and squeeze over if extra acidity is needed.
