Pan-fried Trout with Caper Berry Apple Slaw
My Pan Fried Trout with Caper Berry Slaw incorporates everything I love about summer salads. Fresh and vibrant with heaps of textural interest and crunch. Let’s call it food with benefits. If you’re not jumping on the January deprivation bandwagon, or just love good food, this is the recipe to add to your easy eating, alfresco menu.
The secret to making a really good slaw is super fresh ingredients, and wafer thin sliced or shredded, vegetables. We’re using crisp Pink Lady Apples, fennel, radish, cucumbers, spring onions and of course, cabbage, the mainstay of all slaws. You can of course slice the vegetables paper thin using a sharp knife or, opt for the mandolin. This too comes with nail-biting risk, but it will deliver perfectly thin results.
For me, a salad is only as good as the dressing. Many a salad is neither here nor there because the dressing lacks personality. For our trout salad, we’re keeping it light and fresh. The Dijon mustard and yoghurt dressing is slightly tangy and creamy, coating the slaw and complimenting the rich trout perfectly. If you feel you really need more tang, a tablespoon of good mayonnaise will do the trick.
Cook’s Note: Serve the salad soon after it’s dressed to ensure the vegetables remain crisp and bright.
This recipe was developed in collaboration with Le Creuset using the griddle pan in Bamboo. They happen to have a mad Summer Sale on so now is probably a good time to add to your collection.
Pan-fried Trout with Caper Berry Apple Slaw
Serves 4
olive oil, for cooking
2 rainbow trout fillets
15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
Caper Berry Apple Slaw
2 Pink Lady apples, cored and cut into matchsticks
2 fennel bulbs, thinly shaved
4 mini cucumbers or 1 Mediterranean cucumber, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
50 g radishes, thinly sliced
50 g (1/4 cup) caper berries, rinsed and drained
micro herbs, to finish
Dressing
125 ml (1/2 cup) natural yoghurt
10 ml (2 teaspoons) Dijon mustard
45 ml (3 tablespoons) cold water
15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
30 ml (2 tablespoon) extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the slaw, place all the salad ingredients, except the capers and herbs, in a mixing bowl. Toss gently to combine.
To make the dressing, whisk together the yoghurt and mustard. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.
Drizzle the trout with olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Heat the skillet until hot. Lay the trout in the skillet, skin side down, and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Turn carefully and cook for a further 2 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice, then remove from the heat. Set aside to rest for several minutes.
Remove the skin and flake the trout. Add the trout to the slaw. Pour the dressing over the slaw and and toss gently to coat. Finish with micro herbs and caper berries.
