Over the rainbow: Baked trout with prawn, lemon and herb stuffing

Light, fresh and zingy, this fish dish - baked trout, succulent prawns and a tasty lemon herb stuffing - is sure to put a spring in your step.

My granddad taught me to fish. At eight years old I stood on the riverbank and wondered if this, finally, was the activity that I could be as good, or even better, at than my older brother. It didn’t seem to rely wholly on strength or courage or general boyishness, so why not? And I did catch things, but unfortunately nothing of the aquatic variety. Branches, grass, reeds – anything that my hook could get tangled in before I’d even managed to get it anywhere near the water! I spent all of my time freeing my hook from inanimate objects, while my brother reeled in what seemed like half the ocean. Of course, they were just tiddlers, but still. Later, I found my talents to lie in the cooking rather than the catching.

For those of you who have set down your game gun and picked up a fishing rod, planning to while away the spring days by the riverside and anticipating to be a good deal more successful than I was, here is a simple recipe to do justice to those beautiful fish of coruscating colours. With its light pink flesh and subtle earthy flavour, rainbow trout benefits from citrus and acidic flavours, and stuffing it will bring out its sweetness. Although I have used rainbow trout here, this stuffing would go equally well with other types of trout, or even salmon.

Pair a medium-textured fish like trout with medium-bodied whites and full-bodied whites aged in oak, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, White Rioja and Dry Riesling. Or, just as good on a warm day, a very cold beer.

Here’s to a wonderful fishing season – may your lines be fish-heavy and branch-free!

Serves 2

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

? 2 whole rainbow trout, scaled, gutted and cleaned

? ½ lemon, finely sliced

? olive oil

? salt and pepper

For the stuffing:

? olive oil

? 4 spring onions, finely sliced

? 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

? a large handful of peeled tiger prawns, de-veined and roughly chopped

? 100g breadcrumbs

? 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

? 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped

? zest of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice

? salt and pepper

For the potatoes:

? 250g potatoes, skins left on

? 2 tbsp olive oil

? salt and pepper

To serve:

? green salad

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place a baking tray in the oven.

2. To make the stuffing: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Gently fry the spring onion for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

3. Tip the breadcrumbs into a large bowl and add the prawns, parsley, dill, spring onions, garlic and grated zest and juice. Pour in a good glug of olive oil and mix thoroughly. Season and set aside.

4. Cut the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Place on the pre-heated baking tray, toss in the olive oil until coated and season. Bake for 25-35 minutes until cooked through. Shake and stir halfway through the cooking time.

5. Meanwhile, brush the trout with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

6. Divide the stuffing into two. Lay three slices of lemon inside the cavity of the fish and spoon half of the mixture on top. Repeat with the other fish.

7. Place on a foil-lined baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

8. Serve with the roast potatoes and a simple

green salad.