Lime-cured sea trout with wasabi dressing recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

Serves 4-6 as a starter, or 10-12 as a canape
Takes 15 minutes to make, plus 1-2 days’ chilling
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Rating

This salmon recipe makes a great starter for quite a formal meal, and a perfect canapé with ice-cold beers.

Lime-cured sea trout with wasabi dressing

Ingredients

1 side of sea trout (about 400g), skin on, scaled
1 lime
1 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp Maldon sea salt
1½ tsp wasabi paste (or English mustard)
4 tbsp mild oil, such as grapeseed
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways, deseeded and sliced

Method

1. Run your forefinger over the sea trout to check no bones have been missed – remove any bones with tweezers. Wash the fish, pat dry with kitchen paper and lay skin-side down on a baking tray.
2. Finely grate the lime and combine the zest with the sugar and salt (reserve the lime to juice the following day). Rub the mix over the flesh of the fish. Wrap the fish in cling film, place a baking tray on top and weigh down with a few cans. Chill for 1-2 days, depending on how salty and cured you like it, turning halfway.
3. The next day, make the dressing. Juice the lime and combine with the wasabi or mustard and the oil. Season with black pepper.
4. Unwrap the fish and drain away the briny liquid. Wash well and dry with plenty of kitchen paper. Starting at the tail end, slice the fish thinly at a 45-degree angle towards the tail, using a sharp, long-bladed knife. Serve the fish with the dressing and cucumber slices on the side.

Nutritional info

Per serving (based on 4): 231kcals, 15g fat (1.2g saturated), 19.7g protein, 4.5g carbs, 4.5g sugar, 4g salt

Chef's tip

This is based on a recipe for gravadlax, which is traditionally made with salmon. Sea trout tend to be slightly smaller and less troublesome to cure and store in a domestic fridge.