Ode to trout

Serves 6 Starters and mains

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Method

Heat the grill to hot. Brush the trout fillets with 1tbsp of the oil and grill for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the skin, if on, flake the flesh and remove any bones. Set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium pan, add the onion, garlic and rice and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Add the fish stock and wine, cover with a lid wrapped in a clean tea towel and cook fo raround 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Add the parsley, dill, lemon zest and juice and plenty of salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and cut a fish-shaped template out of paper. Dust your work surface with flour, then roll out half the sourdough pastry into a large rectangle that will fit on your baking tray. Cut the pastry around the fish template and transfer the fishshaped pastry to the prepared baking tray. Spread the flaked trout down the middle of the pastry fish, leaving space around the edge. Top with the rice mixture, shaping it so that it is rounded at the top. Finish with the sour cherries as a final layer.

Roll out the remaining pastry and use the fish template to cut out a pastry fish that is 2cm wider than the base. Moisten the edge of the pastry base with a little water, then carefully lift the larger fish lid over the top to encase the filling. Press the edges together to seal, then crimp the edges. Add some fish markings to the lid if you like and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.

For the salad, pat the cucumber dry using a clean tea towel to remove any moisture and put it in a bowl with the onion, salt and dill. Mix together the vinegar and soured cream in a separate bowl, then combine with the cucumber and onion. Cover and leave to chill in the fridge for around 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Combine the melted butter and milk in a small bowl and use to brush
the pie to make a glaze.

Bake the pie for around 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. If it starts to go too brown too soon, cover with a sheet of foil.

Season the cucumber salad with black pepper and garnish with dill. Serve the pie hot or cold and sliced, with the salad.

COOK’S NOTE

Wild fish, sustainably caught, is often the best option. But if you can only find farmed fish, rainbow trout is one of the more sustainable options; they’re farmed in ponds, which have a far lower environmental impact than fish farmed in open net pens.

Sourdough pastry

Dissolve the citric acid in 30ml cold water.

In a large bowl, mix the flours and salt together, then crumble in the butter, rubbing it into the flour until it has a sandy texture without any large lumps. Slowly add the water and sourdough starter and mix until it forms a dough. You may need to add more water, depending on the wetness of your starter.

Knead a few times in the bowl to form a soft ball, then cover with a damp tea towel or wrap in reusable wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

It will keep in an airtight container or wrap in the fridge for a few hours and freezes well.