Steelhead Trout with Mushrooms & Tomatoes
Serves 4.
By Dennis W. Viau; inspired by a BBC episode of Two Fat Ladies.
I find that farmed fish doesn’t have much flavor. However, there is one farmed fish that I really like—steelhead trout. I buy it at the local warehouse store. It doesn’t have a fishy flavor or odor and the flavor is delicate and mild. This is the only farmed fish I buy often.
This is one of my signature recipes. When I first came up with the idea, people wanted the recipe. It spread rapidly.
Ingredients:
4-6 Roma tomatoes, or garden ripe tomatoes if you have them (about 12 ounces (340g) total)
3 to 4 small to medium mushrooms, coarsely chopped
5-6 basil leaves, cut into julienne
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and minced (or crushed with a garlic press)
¼ cup (60ml) dry Marsala (or other dry white wine)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (extract of anchovy) or 1 to 2 anchovy fillets
1 steelhead fillet, about 1½ pounds (680g) (keep the skin on)
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
Italian parsley for garnish
Directions:
Bring several cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, enough water to completely submerge a tomato. Push a fork into the stem end of a tomato and hold the tomato under the boiling water for about 20 seconds. You might see the skin split. Set the tomato aside to cool and continue with the remaining tomatoes.
Peel the tomatoes, discarding the skin. Cut each tomato in half across the middle and gently squeeze out the seeds. Discard the seeds. (You can strain the seeds and add the juice to the tomatoes for added flavor.) Chop the tomatoes into large pieces and set aside. Chop the mushrooms and set aside. Remove the basil leaves from the stems and cut into julienne and set aside. Chop the parsley leaves (removed from the stems) and set aside. Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the minced/crushed garlic. Cook a few seconds. Add the Marsala (or wine) and fish sauce (or anchovy) and any tomato juice you might have saved. Simmer over medium heat to reduce the liquid to about one half (breaking up the anchovy if used). Place the trout in the skillet, skin side up, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn carefully. Grind some pepper onto the fish. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil to the pan, arranging around the sides of the fish. Cover the skillet and let cook 4 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
Transfer the fish, tomatoes, and mushrooms to a serving platter and tend with foil. Add the cream to the skillet and simmer to reduce the liquid to a sauce.
Spoon the sauce from the skillet onto the fish. Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
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