Trout tartare with ponzu dressing

I can't believe how hot it was yesterday. I got back from gym and my sweat was sweating. After a shower (cold) I actually couldn't deal with the thought of cooking. I had two gorgeous trout fillets and figured I would make a little tartare. I used ponzu sauce as the main ingredient for the dressing. I love that stuff. Ponzu is a Japanese, citrus-based sauce that I mixed in with soy sauce and sesame oil. I was extremely stoked with the results. Let's check it out.

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

• About 400g of fresh trout (just get two fillets with the skin on)
• Half a cup of ponzu sauce
• Half a cup of soy sauce
• A few drops of sesame oil
• A dash of honey
• A handful of chives, finely chopped
• A handful of coriander, finely chopped
• A lemon
• A bulb of fennel, finely sliced
• Two avocados
• A teaspoon or two of sesame seeds for garnishing

Okay, what to do:

1. Start by peeling the avocado and cutting into cubes. Squeeze the juice from one half of the lemon over the avo to stop it turning brown and put it in the fridge. 

2. Remove the trout's skin by peeling back the skin and using a sharp knife to follow it along the bottom of the fish. Once this is done, chop the trout into small pieces. (How small exactly is up to you.)

3. Place the trout in a bowl and add the ponzu, the soy, the sesame oil, the juice from the other half of the lemon, the coriander and the chives. Season with cracked black pepper. You probably won't need to add salt because of the ponzu and soy but if you have to then go ahead. Mix everything up and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. (Don't leave it longer or the lemon juice will start to cook the trout)

4. Find something in your kitchen that is a good size and shape and rub a bit of olive oil on the inside. Pack the trout tightly into the container. Put a plate over your chosen container and flip it over quickly. Put some avocado over the top of your trout and sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top. Drizzle some ponzu sauce around the plate and finish with a bit of the fennel. 

What a perfect dish for summer. Healthy, tasty and not even necessary to turn a stove on. The fennel - if I do say so myself - was an incredible touch. I'm not going wank on and on about fennel because I feel like I do that every time I cook with it but it really was amazing with the other clean flavours. With hindsight, I would've added a bit of chilli into the mix though. Aaah well...next time. 

The smarter of you will notice that there are TWO photos of the tartare. That is a result of The Queen's competitive streak coming through (as it does) and her being convinced she could present the dish in a better way. I'll let you be the judge. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who