TROUT NIÇOISE

Prep: 10 mins. Cooking: 30 mins.

Serves 4-6 as a shared dish.

2 whole rainbow trout (about 350g each),

cleaned, filleted (skin on), pinboned

1-2L vegetable or chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, peeled, flattened

with a knife

4 black peppercorns

6 slices lemon

8 medium chat potatoes, well scrubbed,

left whole

300g small green beans, trimmed 4 pastured eggs

Handful pitted Kalamata olives, to serve

(optional)

Salsa verde

1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tsp capers, drained

½ cup (125ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Mustard vinaigrette

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

⅓ cup (80ml) lemon juice

200ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 In a deep, flameproof baking tray (tray should accommodate fish snugly) pour enough stock to fill tray about half way up the sides. Add parsley, garlic, peppercorns and lemon. Place baking tray on stove and bring stock to the boil. Simmer 5-7 mins, then turn off heat and arrange trout fillets, side-by-side and skin-side down (fish should be completely submerged in stock). Stand 5 mins.

2 Using a broad lifter, carefully lift each fillet onto a large serving platter (side by side, skin side up). Starting at the tail end, remove skin. Drain any liquid from platter; season. Wrap fish and platter completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. May be made the day before.

3 Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water and bring to a simmer over mediumhigh heat. Simmer for 12 mins or until a knife easily passes right through. Drain and allow to cool a little.

4 Meanwhile, make vinaigrette. Place mustard and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. Continuing to whisk, drizzle olive oil in a thin stream, until emulsified. Season to taste. Slice each potato in half, place in a small bowl and toss a generous amount of vinaigrette through. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. May be made the day before.

5 Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook beans for 6 mins or until cooked through but still firm. (Beans should not ‘squeak’ when bitten into.) Drain, refresh in iced water. When cold, drain, dry and refrigerate in an airtight container. May be made the day before.

6 Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water with a slotted spoon, cook 7 mins, then immediately drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water. Peel when cool. Store whole in an airtight container in the fridge. 7 To make salsa verde, place parsley, basil, garlic and capers in a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, add oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice and continue to process until well combined and smooth. Pass through a fine sieve. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Decant to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. May be made several days in advance.

8 To serve, add 1 tbsp of vinaigrette to beans and toss through, adjust seasoning if needed. Toss potatoes through dressing. Slice eggs in quarters. Brush trout fillets with a little vinaigrette. Place beans and potatoes around fish, then arrange eggs and olives on top. Drizzle salsa verde over.