Name: Pan-fried ocean trout with cauliflower, almonds and brown butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, segments from 3 lemons, plus lemon wedges to serve; 1 golden shallot, thinly sliced; 1 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley; 2 tbsp capers in vinegar, rinsed; 4 ocean trout fillets (about 180gm each), skin on, patted dry; Grapeseed oil, for drizzling; 100 gm cold salted butter, diced; 80 gm slivered almonds; 1 tbsp sherry vinegar; Cauliflower purée; 1 kg cauliflower (1 small), florets roughly chopped; 60 ml (¼ cup) milk, warmed; 50 gm butter

Trust your senses with brown butter: once it stops sizzling it’s usually at the right point. A splash of vinegar in the butter, whether it’s sherry or red wine vinegar, adds an extra dimension.

Ingredients

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, segments from 3 lemons, plus lemon wedges to serve

1 golden shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp capers in vinegar, rinsed

4 ocean trout fillets (about 180gm each), skin on, patted dry

Grapeseed oil, for drizzling

100 gm cold salted butter, diced

80 gm slivered almonds

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Cauliflower purée

1 kg cauliflower (1 small), florets roughly chopped

60 ml (¼ cup) milk, warmed

50 gm butter

Method

1.For cauliflower purée, cook cauliflower in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender (8-10 minutes), drain, return to pan with milk and butter, then blend with a hand-held blender until smooth. Season to taste, then cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

2.Meanwhile, combine lemon rind and segments, shallot, parsley and capers in a bowl. Season to taste and toss to combine just before serving.

3.Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle trout with grapeseed oil and season to taste, then add to pan skin-side down, top with baking paper, weight with a heavy pan, and fry until skin is crisp (2-3 minutes). Turn over and fry until cooked to medium (1 minute). Remove from pan and rest for 1-2 minutes. Add butter to pan and cook over high heat until foaming and nut brown (1-2 minutes), add almonds, remove pan from heat and stir until golden (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add vinegar, stir to combine and season to taste.

4.Divide cauliflower purée among plates and top with trout, salad and brown butter sauce.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Emma Knowles

Ingredients

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