Name: Crisp-skin trout with grapefruit, walnut and radicchio salad
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 80 gm walnuts; 4 ocean trout fillets (180gm each), skin on, pin-boned; 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ head radicchio, thick stems discarded, leaves torn; 1 cup mint (loosely packed); 1 cup coriander (loosely packed); 4 radishes, thinly sliced on a mandolin; 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced on a mandolin, fronds reserved; 2 golden shallots, thinly sliced on a mandolin; Spiced citrus dressing; 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 1 grapefruit, rind finely grated, segmented, juice squeezed from membrane; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, juice of ½; 1 tsp baharat (see note); 1 long red chilli, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely grated

In Lebanon, baharat, fish and rice is a classic combination. The crisp-skinned trout is the main attraction here, but for a lighter take, we’ve replaced the rice with salad, and sprinkled the baharat in the citrus dressing.

Ingredients

80 gm walnuts

4 ocean trout fillets (180gm each), skin on, pin-boned

2 tbsp olive oil

½ head radicchio, thick stems discarded, leaves torn

1 cup mint (loosely packed)

1 cup coriander (loosely packed)

4 radishes, thinly sliced on a mandolin

2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced on a mandolin, fronds reserved

2 golden shallots, thinly sliced on a mandolin

Spiced citrus dressing

50 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 grapefruit, rind finely grated, segmented, juice squeezed from membrane

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon, juice of ½

1 tsp baharat (see note)

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely grated

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Roast walnuts on an oven tray until darkened (6-8 minutes). Coarsely chop.

2.For spiced citrus dressing, whisk ingredients, except grapefruit segments, in a bowl, season to taste, then stir in grapefruit segments.

3.Pat trout dry with paper towels and season. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add trout skin-side down, then place a heavy saucepan on top to weigh down fish and fry until skin is crisp (3-4 minutes). Turn and fry until medium rare (1-2 minutes). Transfer to a plate.

4.Toss remaining ingredients, walnuts and dressing in a bowl, and serve with trout.

Baharat, a Middle Eastern spice blend, is available from Herbie’s Spices (herbies.com.au) and Middle Eastern delicatessens.
Notes

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