SEA TROUT
MAKE THE BOUNTY LAST
Sewin, as the Welsh call it, is a more adventurous brown trout, one that runs away to sea to come back bigger, with a sweeter, cleaner taste than its stay-at-home cousin. Just don’t call it salmon trout – it’s not related to salmon. The season runs from April to September.
FREEZE If you have room you can freeze whole fish, but first they must be gutted and have their gills removed. Lay fillets or whole fish on a stiff board or piece of cardboard wrapped in foil. If you have a vacuum packer use this, otherwise, wrap tightly in cling film, then again in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
PRESERVE Potting sea trout to make a chunky, buttery pâté will extend its life to a month, and you can freeze it too for up to 3 months. Lay a 350g skinned sea trout fillet on a tray and rub all over with 2 tsp coarse salt. Chill overnight. Rinse and pat dry, then cut into chunks. Melt 150g butter, add a grating of nutmeg along with the trout and cook very gently until the trout is cooked through (5-6 minutes). Drain, reserving the butter. Spoon about half the butter back onto the trout in a medium bowl, being careful not to include any of the watery liquid under the butter. Gently mix in 30g chopped fresh dill, then spoon into a serving dish or individual ramekins. Chill until set, then cover with a layer of reserved melted butter and chill again. Serve at room temperature or lightly warmed.
TRENDWATCH
Micro herbs
They’ve become a favourite way for chefs to add a final, airy flourish to dishes. Their colours, shapes and often intense flavours can help link other elements on the plate. Here’s what you need to know…
WHAT ARE THEY? Micro herbs (aka micro greens) are the shoots and leaves of salad and herb plants harvested while still seedlings.
WHAT SORT OF PLANTS? Pretty much any edible leaves can be grown in micro form, from spicy mizuna, mustard and nasturtium leaves, through red chard and amaranth to aromatic baby basil, coriander and celery leaves.
HOW TO BUY THEM? Until recently you either needed to grow your own or find a specialist supplier (such as finefoodspecialist.co.uk), but supermarkets are getting in on the act. Sainsbury’s sells garlic chive sprouts and mini pea shoots, and M&S and Ocado both sell British, Italian and Japanese micro herb mixes.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN…
LAMB, HOGGETT AND MUTTON?
LAMB is the meat of a young sheep (under one year old). It can be eaten in spring but lamb hits its peak – in flavour terms – in early summer and through the autumn.
HOGGET After that, and up to the age of two years old, the meat is known as hogget. The meat from hogget is still tender enough to be grilled but it also loves long, slow cooking and has a fuller, more distinctive flavour.