Poached trout with watercress sauce
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Jonathan Gregson
Poached trout with watercress sauce
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
636Kcal
Fat
59gr
Saturates
19gr
Carbs
2gr
Sugars
2gr
Fibre
0gr
Protein
37gr
Salt
0.3gr
Lucas Hollweg
Lucas Hollweg is a self-taught cook and food writer respected for his laid-back, homely food. He was named Evelyn Rose 2012 Cookery Journalist of The Year and is author of Good Things To Eat.
Lucas Hollweg
Lucas Hollweg is a self-taught cook and food writer respected for his laid-back, homely food. He was named Evelyn Rose 2012 Cookery Journalist of The Year and is author of Good Things To Eat.
Ingredients
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 4 small trout fillets, each about 175g
For the sauce
- 75g watercress, roughly chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp finely chopped chives
- 3 medium egg yolks, at room temperature
- 150ml groundnut oil
- 2 pinches of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus a squeeze extra if needed
- 150ml double cream
Serving suggestion
- 500g new potatoes
- 250g asparagus
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the sauce a few hours ahead and refrigerate until needed; bring back to room temperature before serving
- Put the peppercorns, bay leaves and vinegar in a deep frying pan or wide saucepan (you need one with a lid – or a sheet of foil large enough to cover it). Add 3cm water and slowly bring to a boil.
- Add the trout to the water and bring to a simmer, then cover, turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes until cooked through.
- For the sauce, put the watercress and chives in a blender with a couple of teaspoons of water and blitz until they're finely chopped.
- Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk for 30 seconds or so, until frothy. Gradually start to whisk in the oil, a drop at a time to start with, until the yolks start to thicken, then in a thin steady stream. Keep whisking until the mixture is thick and glossy, then whisk in the sugar, the tablespoon of lemon juice and some seasoning. Be generous with the salt.
-
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft clouds. Fold the whipped cream into the sauce, followed by the watercress mixture, until everything is well combined. Season, adding more lemon juice if needed. Remove the fish from the pan and serve with the sauce, new potatoes and asparagus.
Note: this recipe contains raw/partially cooked eggs
Chef quote
This is an unashamedly traditional idea. The bright flavours of the sauce are a brilliant foil to the gentle sweetness of the fish. Once the weather warms up, I like to serve the trout at room temperature.
