Trout Meunière with Fennel, Blood Orange and Negra Harvest Two&One Olive Oil Salad
This light and refreshing February dish celebrates the best of local, seasonal and high-quality produce. As the saying goes, “good food is simple: good ingredients,” and there’s no need for any fuss when you have ingredients this fresh. For this recipe, I sourced my beautiful trout, sanguinelli blood oranges, and lemon from West Lea Farm Shop in Alresford, Hampshire, an enchanting shop that features some of the best local and artisan produce, including Two&One. The farm shop is known for its commitment to freshness, and the trout I used had been out of the river just over an hour before arriving in my kitchen — there’s truly nothing like cooking with fish so fresh. I gutted and filleted, this trout but feel free to buy pre-prepared trout.
This dish is perfect for busy days because it’s quick to prepare yet impressive. You can have the fennel and orange salad ready in about 20 minutes, and the trout cooks up in minutes. You can have the leftovers for lunch the next day, on its own or with a slice of olive oil toast and some lovely pâté.
Recipe provided by: Hettie Anderson, Alresford.
Ingredients
For the Trout Meunière:
2 fresh prepared trout fillets, skin on, boneless
3 tbsp liliput capers
2 tbsp Envero Harvest Two&One Olive Oil (for searing and crispy capers)
4 tbsp butter (for basting and sauce) or 3 tbsp of Envero Harvest Two&One Olive Oil
4 tbsp plain flour (for dredging)
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Fennel Blood Orange Salad:
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 blood oranges
Negra Harvest Two&One Olive Oil (for dressing) 2 tbsp or more to taste
Fresh herbs – such as tarragon and coriander, as well as the fennel fronds. Alternatively, experiment with other fresh herbs
you have – mint and parsley are both a great choice.
Sea flaky salt, to taste
Takes 20 mins – serves 4
Method
For the Fennel Blood Orange Salad:
Cut the fennel bulb in half, remove the tough core, and slice it as thinly as possible (a mandolin works great). Keep the fennel fronds attached to the stems; they’re a great herb and garnish for the salad.
Chop your herbs, and then segment the oranges, keeping both the segments and the juice from the membrane. Keep the fennel, herbs, and blood oranges separate. Reserve.
Just before cooking the fish, combine the thinly sliced fennel, blood orange segments, orange juice from the chopping board, chopped herbs, sea salt, and Negra Harvest extra virgin olive oil to taste in a
large bowl. Toss gently to mix. Simple, tasty, and no messing round – that’s your salad done.
For the Trout Meunière:
Pat the trout fillets dry with kitchen paper, ensuring there’s no moisture on the skin. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each fillet in flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the olive oil and cook crispy capers: In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of Envero Harvest extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot (it should shimmer and dance like a river), add the capers – they will sizzle, as the moisture releases. Turn the heat down, if necessary, to crisp up without gaining too much colour. Remove the capers from the pan, leaving the infused oil behind. Place them on kitchen paper to drain. Set aside until plating.
Ensure the oil is hot and add the trout fillets, skin-side down. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the skin is crispy and golden brown.
Carefully flip the trout fillets over and add the butter or more olive oil to the pan. Allow the butter to melt and foam, then swirl the pan to coat the fish in the rich butter. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through but still moist and tender in the centre (about 63°C, measured with a temperature probe).
Just before removing the fish, add the lemon juice, any leftover herbs from the salad, and half of the crispy capers to the pan. Baste the fish in the browned butter for extra flavour and texture.
To Serve:
Plate the trout fillets alongside a generous serving of the fennel blood orange salad. I like to use the reserved herbs, crispy capers, and orange segments to garnish the dish. The sweetness and citrus notes of the salad will balance the richness of the meunière sauce, creating a tasty, fresh, and balanced dish.
Drizzle a touch more Negra Harvest olive oil over the salad before serving for that extra richness and flavour.
