A dedication to Chalk Stream Trout
This week, we have decided to dedicate the whole blog to one of the most amazing, rich, tasty products on the market right now-the unbelievable Chalk Stream Trout.
Chalk streams flow through chalk hills (not surprisingly) towards the sea and are especially popular with fly fisherman. There are 160 chalk streams in England and the filtering effect of the chalk mean that the waters are crystal clear, described also as ‘gin clear.’
Prized far more highly than Rainbow trout due to the clean taste and lean flesh, Sailbrand are proud to offer this amazing, sustainable and delicious fish all year round. Give the guys in the office a call today to find out more about pricing and samples, you won’t be disappointed! We can also offer Chalk Stream Trout in ‘Sealpack’ boxes, meaning fresher fish for longer.
Harvested only to order
Harvested only to order, the fish goes from ‘water to waiter’ in less than 48 hours, meaning complete confidence for you and your customers. It’s just as good raw as it is cooked, with curing and smoking both brilliant ways to utilize the firm flakes, see below for a bit of inspiration and don’t forget to send us your finished dishes so we can showcase you and your talents on our social media outlets.
Gin Cured Chalk Stream Trout with Beetroot
This is a case of patience really paying off! It takes 2 full days to cure the Trout, but the flavour that develops over this time will blow you away!
Ingredients
- 1 large side of Chalk Stream Trout-skin left on
- 500g table salt
- 500g caster sugar
- 200ml gin
- 4 lemons
- 2 limes
- 20 black peppercorns
For the Beetroot- use a selection of beetroot, which are right in season now and available from any good veg supplier in red, golden and candy-striped versions. I find that the candy-striped ones are especially good served raw, while the golden ones benefit from salt-baked and the red one’s puree perfectly.
Method
To cure the trout, rub the gin all over the trout and massage in well. Mix the salt, sugar and peppercorns together then add the zest and juice of the lemons and limes. Cover both sides of the trout generously and cover well with cling film. Press firmly and leave on the fridge for 24 hours, then turn, re-press and leave for a further 24 hrs. The fish will be firm and have an almost ‘cooked’ texture. Remove from the fridge, wash off and excess curing mix and re-wrap until ready to use. It is best sliced to order to stop it drying out.
