Trout Mac and Cheese

Course: main

Skill level: easy

Serves: 4

400 g (14 oz) British trout

fillet with skin

450 ml (16 fl oz) milk

1 clove garlic, bashed

1 bay leaf

Dash of fish sauce

30 g (1 oz) butter

30 g (1 oz) flour

2 tsp English mustard Salt and freshly ground

black pepper, to taste 300 g (10½ oz) grated

mature Cheddar

200 g (7 oz) macaroni

For the Herby Crumbs: 2 large slices stale bread 1 clove garlic, chopped

roughly

A good sprig of parsley A little fresh or dried thyme 100 g (3½ oz) grated cheese To Serve: crisp salad; chilli sauce (optional). 1 Remove the skin from the trout by running a knife between the flesh and the skin, and place the skin along with the milk, bashed garlic clove and bay leaf in a saucepan and simmer for 2 minutes. Add a dash of fish sauce and turn off the heat. Leave the milk to infuse for a few minutes then pass it through a sieve, discard the skin and

other bits and bobs, retaining only the infused milk.

2 In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir into a paste and add this to the infused milk in a fresh saucepan – use a whisk to combine the paste into the liquid and bring it back to a simmer. The sauce should thicken. Add the mustard and season. Add the grated Cheddar and stir that in off the heat until the cheese melts into the sauce and it all comes together nicely.

3 Pre-heat oven to 220 deg. C., 425 deg. F., Gas Mark 7.

4 Boil the macaroni in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain most of the water off but don’t drain thoroughly – keep it a little moist to help the dish stay saucy when baked.

5 Dice the trout, which is now skinless, into chunky pieces. Combine the trout, the cooked pasta and sauce all together and pour into a suitable ovenproof dish – you want to have a good depth to the pasta of around 3 inches, so make sure the dish is not too big. Something roughly 20 x 13 cm (8 x 5 in) will be ideal as long as it is deep enough.

6 To make the herby crumbs: place the bread, garlic and herbs in a food processor and blitz to a chunky breadcrumb consistency. Mix this with the cheese and sprinkle it over the pasta.

7 Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden crisp on the top, and piping hot and bubbling inside.

8 Serve with a crisp salad or whatever you fancy to go with it – or just eat it on its own! Some chilli sauce is nice on the side for some added spice.