Our Ocean Trout with Dashi Rice Pilaf is a great dish for an occasion and isn’t Christmas the ultimate occasion?
The whole fish is butterflied and boned (by your fish monger!!) and then stuffed with a delicious rice pilaf and topped with zucchini slices. All this can be done well ahead of your guests’ arrival.
After 20 minutes in the oven the moist Ocean Trout with Dashi Rice Pilaf can be served, hot, warm or at room temperature. The real beauty is that it is a dream to serve. As there are no bones it can be sliced right through and served in steaks.
The Wasabi, Pea and Soybean Smash is a delicious concoction and a beautiful colour contrast when served with the fish. It can be prepared several days in advance and gently reheated. Any left overs will make a fabulous Boxing Day breakfast, dolloped on toast, gluten-free of course, and topped with poached eggs.
Merry, merry.
Rosie
OCEAN TROUT WITH DASHI RICE PILAF
Serves 10-12
3 kg ocean trout
2-3 small zucchini
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Japanese pickled ginger to serve
Ask your fishmonger to butterfly and bone your ocean trout leaving the head and tail intact. Make sure they take out all the pin bones.
Finely slice the zucchini.
Dashi Rice Pilaf
2 tablespoons macadamia oil
50 gm unsalted butter or ghee
2 brown onions, finely chopped
200 gm enoki mushrooms, finely chopped
70 gm fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
Good pinch saffron
2 cups basmati rice
325 ml good quality fish or chicken stock
325 ml dashi stock (homemade, see below, or gluten-free instant)
Heat macadamia oil and butter in a heavy based saucepan and sauté onion and mushrooms until the onion is lightly golden. Add the fresh ginger and rice and toss ensuring the rice is well coated.
Cover with stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Transfer to a large bowl to cool completely.
To Cook
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line with baking paper a baking tray large enough to accommodate the fish.
Place the fish on the prepared baking tray and stuff it with two thirds of the cooled pilaf.
Pat dry the surface of the fish before arranging the zucchini slices on top, overlapping them so they resemble fish scales. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a serving platter and serve with Japanese pickled ginger and reserved Dashi Rice Pilaf, scattered with sliced green onions, on the side.
Dashi Stock
450 ml cold water
30 gm konbu (dried seaweed)
15 gm dried bonito flakes
Place the water and konbu in a saucepan over a high heat. Just before the water boils, remove the konbu and discard.
Allow the water to come to the boil and add a quarter of a cup of cold water to bring the temperature down quickly. Immediately add the dried bonito flakes and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for only 2-3 seconds, remove from the heat and strain. Leaving the bonito to boil any longer than 2-3 seconds will result in a bitter stock.
Squeeze the liquid from the bonito flakes. If the resulting liquid does not make 325ml, top up with water.
TIPS: Konbu and dried bonito flakes are readily available from Asian supermarkets and often mainstream supermarkets too.
Instant dashi stock is readily available from Asian supermarkets. Just make sure you purchase a gluten-free variety.
WASABI, PEA AND SOYBEAN SMASH
Serves 10-12
350 gm shelled, frozen soybeans
350 gm frozen peas
50 gm unsalted butter
2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
150 gm crème fraiche
Reserved soybean water
Fresh wasabi, finely grated, to taste,
or purchased gluten-free wasabi paste,
to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sesame oil to drizzle
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the soybeans. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas, bring the water back to the boil, strain immediately, reserving a cup of the water.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until soft but not brown. Add the soybeans and peas and toss until combined. Cool a little.
Transfer to a food processor along with the crème fraiche and process until you have a textured puree, adding reserved soybean/pea water as needed to achieve your required consistency. Add wasabi to taste then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve warm drizzled with sesame oil.
TIP: This recipe can be made a couple of days ahead, stored in the fridge, and gently reheated over a low heat or in the microwave and it freezes well.