SMOKED TROUT ON BAKED TOAST & HORSERADISH MAYONNAISE

SHOP-BOUGHT crispy French toast was a part of my years as a young chef. I’d smother it with Philadelphia and then top it with a bit of smoked salmon. But I had never made the toast, until now. The bread dries to become crispy and crunchy, and is eaten at room temperature rather than hot. So you can really take your time with this easy dish, as nothing can go cold. I think it’s a genius idea, and it only took me 42 years to come up with it!

Serves 6

● 6 slices of sourdough bread, cut to a thickness of about 1 cm

● 1 medium egg

● 5-6 dsp mayonnaise

● Fresh horseradish, grated (or horseradish sauce), to your taste

● 6 smoked trout fillets fillets, broken into pieces

● 2 medium-sized gherkins, finely sliced

● 1 shallot, finely sliced

● 20 g (¾ oz) capers

● Watercress or herbs of your choice, chopped

● Sea salt flakes

PReheAt oven to 120c/fan 100c/gas ½. Cook the bread slices for 40 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. (You can toast the bread under a medium grill, but it won’t be the same.)

hard-boil the egg, drain and leave to cool. Peel and slice very finely. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise with grated horseradish, or horseradish sauce, to your taste.

Let the toast cool to room temperature. Spread the mayonnaise and horseradish mixture on each slice of toast. Lay the trout pieces on top of the mayonnaise and horseradish mixture, then add the sliced egg. Garnish with the gherkins and shallot, add a few capers to each slice, and sprinkle with the herbs and a pinch of sea salt.