Cured sea trout, crème fraîche & gherkins

Sea trout and salmon trout have a texture and colour similar to salmon and cure beautifully.

SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins plus 2 days curing NO COOK EASY

500g sea trout fillet, skin on 80g salt

80g sugar

1 star anise

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp juniper

130g dill, chopped

2 fresh gherkins or small cucumbers ½ lemon, juiced

1 tbsp olive oil

100g crème fraiche

1 Put the sea trout fillet in a large tray or container big enough to fit it. Blitz the salt, sugar, spices and 100g dill until they are evenly chopped. This is the cure for the fish. Tip the mixture over the fish and make sure every bit is covered. Cover and chill for two days, but tip any excess liquid out of the tray after a day.

2 Wash the cure off the fish and pat it dry, then chill again uncovered for 2 hrs so the surface dries out a little.

3 Chop the gherkins into small cubes, then put in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil and remaining dill.

4 Slice the fish into 1/2 cm slices, cutting through the flesh to the skin but leaving the slices attached. Then slide the knife along the skin to release the slices. This way you get lovely chunky pieces of fish.

5 Serve three slices of trout per person with the gherkin dressing and a dollop of crème fraîche.

GOOD TO KNOW omega-3 • gluten free

PER SERVING 498 kcals • fat 42g • saturates 12g • carbs 4g • sugars 4g • fibre 1g • protein 26g • salt 3.7g