Trout with Caramelised Shallots, Capers and Brown Butter

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 250 g Charlotte potatoes
• Olive oil
• 4 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1-2 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 6 round UK grown shallots, peeled, and halved through the root
• 2 British trout fillets (skin on)
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 50 g butter
• Lemon juice
• Handful parsley, leaves chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

• Boil the new potatoes in salted water for 10-15 mins until tender when pierced with a knife.
• Drain, crush (not mash) with a potato masher, add a generous slug of extra virgin olive oil, season well, add the parsley and chives, and stir in a tablespoon of horseradish sauce (or more). Check the seasoning.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive or veg oil in a non-stick frying pan. When hot, add the shallots, cut side down, and cook for 5 mins on medium heat. When caramelised, remove and place cut side up on a small ovenproof tray.
• Place in the oven while you cook the trout.
• Pat the trout dry, make shallow diagonal cuts across the skin, 1 cm apart (avoid cutting into the flesh), and season with sea salt.
• Add a little olive oil to the frying pan used for the shallots.
• Place the trout skin side down and cook for 2–3 minutes to achieve a golden-brown crust (avoid moving them around).
• Gently turn the trout over, add the capers, and cook for another minute.
• Turn off the heat, add the butter to the pan, a grind of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. The butter will darken and start to foam.
• Baste the fish with the butter for a few seconds.
• Serve the trout with the crushed potatoes and some salad leaves or watercress dressed in a little lemon juice olive oil.

Recipe created for British Trout and UK Shallots by @thecornerplot