Chopped kale, dill and chickpea salad with smoked trout
The herbs, cucumber and yogurt in this salad are a cooling combination that’s a particularly good foil for hot-smoked river trout.
SERVES 4
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained 1tbsp olive oil
250g kale, leaves shredded (stems discarded)
1 lemon, zest finely grated and the juice of ½
1½ large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthways, seeds scooped out and discarded, flesh cut into 1cm crescents
10 dill sprigs, ½ fronds finely chopped and ½ left whole
Leaves picked from 10 sprigs mint, finely chopped
100g Greek yogurt 4 fillets hot-smoked trout
Flaky sea salt; ground black pepper
1 Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Spread half the chickpeas over a baking sheet. Add the oil, roll the chickpeas in it until glossy, and roast for 30min until golden. Season with lots of flaky salt then set to one side.
2 Transfer the kale leaves to a mixing bowl, add ½tsp flaky sea salt, then use one hand to squeeze or ‘massage’ the kale for a minute or so, until reduced in volume.
3 Add the lemon zest and lemon juice along with the non-roasted chickpeas, mix them together and fluff with a fork.
4 Put the cucumber crescents into a separate bowl, add a pinch of salt and stir.
5 Add the chopped herbs and the yogurt to the cucumber before transferring two thirds of the mixture from the bowl to the kale. Mix again with a fork, then add most of the remaining dill fronds (saving a few for the garnish) along with lots of black pepper, and mix again.
6 Decant onto a large platter or individual plates. Top with the remaining cucumber and yogurt, the crisp chickpeas, then the smoked fish in large flakes, and finish with the final dill fronds.