Ocean Trout with Spicy Onion Sauce

Name: Ocean Trout with Spicy Onion Sauce
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon oregano leaves, finely sliced; 1 clove garlic, crushed; ½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; 1 x 300g piece ocean trout fillet, centre-cut, skin on, pin-boned; Crusty bread, for serving; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 red onions, finely sliced; 2 tablespoons dry white wine; 100ml canned crushed tomato (polpa); Pinch dried chilli flakes, to taste; 2 tablespoons water

Cooking fish almost entirely on the skin protects the delicate flesh, keeping it moist and succulent. The skin usually ends up a bit charred and looking slightly the worse for wear, so I usually present the fish flesh side up. The skin still tastes great and, if you like the look of it, by all means put it on display. The spicy onion sauce has the contrasting sweetness of caramelised onion with a nice hit of chilli – Italian dried chilli flakes are quite spicy, so add a little, taste and then decide whether you want more. Serve salmon instead of ocean trout with spicy onion sauce if you prefer, and add a simple orange salad if you like (see video below). I like a light red with this sweet-spicy sauce – Momento Mori’s Everything Is Free works a treat. This unusual blend of nero d’avola with a splash of moscato giallo has some lovely aromatics and is soft enough to work well with the chilli, it can take a little chilling too if you feel so inclined.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano leaves, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
1 x 300g piece ocean trout fillet, centre-cut,
skin on, pin-boned
Crusty bread, for serving

Spicy Onion Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
Salt flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons dry white wine
100g crushed canned Italian tomatoes (polpa)
Pinch dried chilli flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons water

Method

Combine oil, oregano, garlic and salt in a shallow bowl.
Add fish, turn to coat well and set aside, flesh side down, for 30–60 minutes at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for a few hours (then bring back to room temperature before cooking).
Meanwhile, make Spicy Onion Sauce: place oil, onion and a good pinch of salt in a frying pan over medium heat and stir to combine well. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to colour. Uncover and cook for a further 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until well-coloured. Add wine and stir well to remove any bits stuck to the base and sides of the pan. Boil for 30 seconds or so, until most of the wine has evaporated, then stir in tomato, chilli and water. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until well combined and slightly reduced. Taste and add more chilli flakes if you wish. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan on medium–high.
Place fish on the grill, skin side down, and cook for 4–5 minutes until it’s opaque halfway up the sides.
Turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat to a warm plate and set aside for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread Spicy Onion Sauce on a serving plate.
Top with the fish, skin side down and serve with crusty bread.