Poached wild sea trout with crab and potato salad, pickles and salad cream

Ingredients

For the cucumber pickles

• 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, seeds removed, cut into batons
• 1-2 tbsp sea salt
• ½ bunch fresh dill
• 2 tbsp English mustard
• 50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
• 20g/1oz sugar

For the beetroot pickles

• 8 baby beetroot
• 1-2 handfuls sea salt
• 300ml/10fl oz red wine vinegar
• 100g/3½oz brown sugar
• 1 tsp caraway seeds

For the cauliflower pickles

• 1 small head cauliflower, tough outer leaves removed, cut into small florets
• 300ml/10fl oz cider vinegar
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp mustard seeds

For the pickled baby onions

• 8 baby onions, skins on
• 300ml/10fl oz cider vinegar
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp mustard seeds

For the sea trout

• 1kg/2lb 3oz whole wild sea trout
• 200ml/7fl oz fish stock
• 50ml/2fl oz white wine
• 2 fresh parsley stalks
• 2 fresh tarragon stalks

For the salad cream

• 2 free-range eggs, hard-boiled, yolks only
• 2 tbsp English mustard
• ½ lemon, juice only
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 150ml/5fl oz evaporated milk
• 150ml/5fl oz olive oil
• salt and ground white pepper

For the crab and potato salad

• 6 new potatoes
• 1 small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
• 150g/5oz cooked white crabmeat

Preparation method

1. For the cucumber pickles, place the cucumber batons into a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave for two hours, then rinse in cold water and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Place into a bowl.
2. Whisk the remaining cucumber pickle ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the cucumber batons, mix well and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
4. For the beetroot pickles, scrub the beetroot well and place on a bed of sea salt in a roasting tray. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven, peel off the skin and slice the beetroot into rounds. Place into a bowl.
5. Bring the vinegar to the boil in a small non-reactive pan along with the sugar and caraway seeds, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the beetroot in the bowl and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes, then drain and set aside.
6. For the cauliflower pickles, blanch the cauliflower florets for 30 seconds in a pan of boiling salted water. Drain and place the cauliflower into a bowl.
7. Bring the vinegar to the boil in a small non-reactive pan along with the sugar, tarragon, peppercorns and mustard seeds, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes, then drain and set aside.
8. For the pickled baby onions, blanch the baby onions in a pan of boiling water for one minute. Drain, then peel the skins, slice the baby onions in half, keeping the root intact, and place into a bowl.
9. Bring the vinegar to the boil in a small non-reactive pan along with the sugar and mustard seeds, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the baby onions and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes, then drain and set aside.
10. For the sea trout, gut, clean and fillet the sea trout, removing any pin bones and the skin. Lightly season the fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cut into four equal portions.
11. Place the fish stock, white wine, parsley stalks and tarragon stalks into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, then gently poach the sea trout fillets in the stock for 6-8 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and just cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
12. For the salad cream, place all of the salad cream ingredients, apart from the oil and seasoning, into a food processor. Blend, gradually adding the oil, until smooth and emulsified. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
13. For the crab and potato salad, cook the new potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until tender, then drain and remove the skins.
14. Mix the chives and parsley with the crabmeat in a bowl, then stir in a few tablespoons of the salad cream. Crush the potatoes with a fork and mix into the crabmeat along with the salad cream. Fold the crushed potatoes into the crab mixture, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
15. To serve, place a sea trout fillet on each of four serving plates and arrange the pickles around the plate. Spoon the crab and potato salad on top, and drizzle the remaining salad cream around the edges of the plate.