Tag: autumn

Steelhead Trout with Chanterelles

 

Early autumn is my favourite time of year. West swell begins to roll into the West Coast again, re-surging the various reef and point breaks back to life; the days are still reasonably long; amazing produce is abundant and inexpensive; and a plethora of delicious wild fungi begin to pop up in the coastal temperate rainforest, just waiting to be found by those keen enough to look. It’s an inspiring time of the year when you’re obsessed with creating food.

Trout with Chanterelle mushrooms is a classic and elegant combination. The dish could be further simplified to the point where the only additional ingredient is salt and pepper and it would still be outstanding. By adding a few finishing touches, the standout flavours are not compromised, but subtly accented. Exercise restraint when adding the ingredients, especially the butter, cream, and sherry. Cooking the trout requires some finesse as well, as the success of the dish hangs on achieving a beautiful crispy skin.

IMG_3170

After a quick and unsuccessful search of the North Shore mountains in the morning, I decided to satisfy my Chanterelle fix by stopping by the Trout Lake Farmer’s market at noon

Ingredients:

2 or 3 portions cut from the freshest Steelhead or Rainbow Trout fillet that you can find (or catch)

1 tbsp olive oil

0.5 pounds of fresh golden chanterelles

1 shallot, minced

1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves only

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup cream

Juice of half a lemon

Dash of sherry

1 sprig of fresh dill, roughly torn

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

  1. Season trout fillets generously, proper seasoning is essential when cooking trout. Heat a saute pan to medium heat, add olive oil, then add the trout fillets skin side down just as the oil starts to heat up. Do not wait for the pan to heat up to searing temperatures, since the skin will shrink and ruin the fillet if heated too quickly. Continue to cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and comes away freely from the pan. If the skin is sticking, the pan is either too hot, or hasn’t crisped enough. Flip the trout and cook for 1 minute, then transfer to a plate in a 180 degree F oven to hold while mushrooms cook.

    Trout with pilsner
    Searing trout with the company of some Main St Pilsner
  2. For the next steps, you’ll need to work quickly so that the trout does not sit more than a few minutes. Turn the heat on the pan up to high, and wait 30 seconds or until it reaches searing temperatures. Add the chanterelles to the hot pan, ensuring they are not crowded (otherwise they will steam and not caramelize). Allow to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes.

  3. IMG_3178
    This is about as crowded as I’ll ever cook mushrooms. Any more, and they will steam.
  4. Add the shallots, butter, and thyme to the pan then toss the ingredients together in the pan to incorporate. Cook for 1 minute, then add the lemon, cream, and sherry. Continue to swirl the pan and allow liquid ingredients to reduce for 1 minute, or until a sauce like consistency is reached. Remove from heat, then add half of dill.
  5. Spoon the mushrooms onto a warm plate, then top with the trout fillet. Garnish with the remaining half of dill leaves.

Enjoy!

Trout with Chanterelles

Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Squash, and Crispy Sage Leaves

This is a very simple autumn inspired dish. It will work with a wide variety of squash, and each one will give the dish a different flavour and character so there is tonnes of room for variation by following the simple formula of this recipe.

I love the combination of brown butter and sage, but the lemon is really what brings the whole dish together. Opt for fresh gnocchi instead of store bought, and you won’t be disappointed! You could even take it one step further than I did by making butternut squash gnocchi instead of regular potato.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh potato gnocchi (either store bought or fresh, recipe for this to follow)

1 small squash (about 500g), acorn, gem, or butternut squash work well

1 small bunch fresh sage

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1 lemon

1 tbsp hard cheese such as grana padano, or parmesan

Directions:

1. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds, season the inside with salt and pepper, and add a small glug of olive oil to each and roast for 30 min at 350 degrees F, or until done (timing based on gem squash).

2. Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large saute pan and place on medium heat. Pick the sage leaves from the stem, and carefully arrange in the pan to avoid overlapping. Continue to saute until the sage leaves are crispy, but not burnt. Pick out individual leaves as they crisp up if the heat is uneven. Set aside crispy sage leaves for later and reserve the pan for the gnocchi (step 5).

3.  Bring a pot of water to boil and salt as you would for pasta. Add the gnocchi and drain with a colander once the gnocchi has floated to the surface. Ensure you remove as much water as possible to avoid oil splatters in the next step.

4. While the gnocchi is cooking, turn a small saucepan to medium-high heat and add the butter. Cook until the color begins to turn golden brown and the aroma changes, then remove from heat. Ensure you do not remove from the heat too late, as the butter will continue to brown somewhat.

5. Heat the large saute pan to high heat, and add a glug of olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the pan to saute, ensuring they form a single layer. If the pan is too small for this, work in batches. Saute the gnocchi until they develop a nice golden brown exterior with a slight crust. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the squash, brown butter, and the juice from the 1 lemon. Toss the ingredients lightly and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add the crispy sage, reserving a few for garnish. Season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to incorporate all the ingredients.

6. Grate the cheese over the gnocchi, and garnish with the reserved crispy sage leaves.