Potting is an old British technique for preserving meat or seafood by storing it under a layer of fat, similar to French confit or rillettes. The food was traditionally cooked thoroughly to eliminate excess moisture then packed into a ceramic pot (thus the name potting). Meats with a lot of natural fat were stored under a layer of their own fat, while seafood was generally covered with clarified butter. This potted trout is inspired by a dish I had in Scotland, where the smoked trout is excellent. It’s an easy trout pate or trout dip, perfect spread on croutons as finger food or with toast triangles as an elegant do-ahead dinner party starter. One smoked trout serves 4 people generously as a potted trout starter or even as a light meal with plenty of toast, salad and a glass or two of Hills & Back Sangiovese Rosé. You could pack the mixture into 8 smaller dishes if you’re serving potted trout with several other courses, or just spread the smoked trout pate onto croutons (without the clarified butter) to pass around with drinks. See video below for another delicious smoked fish recipe.
Serves 4–8 as a starter
Share page on:
