Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My take on a traditional Norwegian dish.

For one plate size Rainbow Trout

1 T Salt ( unprocessed sea salt )
1 T Panela or Rapadura or Jaggery (please try get unrefined sugar - if not white industrial grade sugar will work )
Small handful of fresh Dill - Chopped
1 T Capers – Chopped
1 x 30ml pour of Gin or Vodka
1 T Preserved Lemon rind (optional) – Chopped

Gut, scale and fillet the fish, leave the skin on.

Take a pair of the mrs’s old tweezers ( sorry ladies ) and run your fingers up and down the fillet, skin side down, looking for pin bones, remove them gently – be sure not to tear the flesh.

Once pin-boned place a large sheet of cling film on a plate, place the fish on the plate and smother with half the cure, turn and smother with remaining cure.

Wrap tightly with cling film – be sure to expel all the air you can. Vacuum sealers are perfect! Refrigerate for 24 hours. ( See Skeg I CAN spell )

Remove film, brush off remaining cure with a damp paper towel and slice fish on an angle away from yourself about 2mm thick. Don’t cut through to the skin.

Arrange and serve with some lemon Crème fraîche and pickles (that’s how I like it)

This can be likened to commercial smoked salmon in texture, the flavour is completely customisable. Swap the fresh dill with whatever herbs you have in your garden at the time of despatch.

Try adding things like sumac, fennel seed, mustard etc – play around with it.

If modifying the recipe – the sugar and salt must remain the same, if doubling the amount of fish, raise the amount of sugar and salt by half. If tripling it then use 1 2/3 of the salt and sugar – you get the drift.
I have never done this on a white fleshed fish – suspect it would work just the same as the cure really tightens up the flesh, just might look a little different.

Please drop back in to let me know what you think of the recipe and your versions of it too!

Gravtrout very delicate flavour. My all time favourite. I have used dill before but prefer salt and sugar only and then cold smoke it on bluegum for an hour.

The cure I used on my trout recently was along the same lines; fennel because I had no dill, and some lemon and orange zest, no vodka or capers. There was something else I used but I can't remember it though, lol. It was good, but I didn't smoke it and I have to say I did miss that element.