Confit Trout
La Cabane d’à Côté

INGREDIENTS
Rutabaga and Carrots

• 25 g (2 oz) rutabaga, trimmed into a cylinder and sliced on a mandoline
• 25 g (2 oz) Nantes carrots, peeled, sliced on a mandoline
• 75 ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice
• 75 ml (⅓ cup) maple syrup
• 50 ml (¼ cup) Campari
• 5 g (1 tsp) salt

Trout

• 1 boneless trout filet, 200 g (½ lb)
• 3 g (1 tsp) maple sugar
• 3 g (1 tsp) sea salt
• 75 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• pepper

Horseradish Crème Fraîche

• 50 ml (¼ cup) crème fraîche
• 50 ml (¼ cup) grated horseradish
• 10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Citrus Salad

• 1 blood orange cut into suprêmes
• 1 orange cut into suprêmes
• 1 grapefruit cut into suprêmes
• 100 ml (½ cup) citrus juice
• 2 kumquats, thinly sliced
• 25 ml (2 tbsp) trout roe
• 25 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice
• salt and pepper

METHOD
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil on high. Blanch rutabaga and carrot for about 1 minute; drain and let cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, maple syrup, Campari, 50 ml (¼ cup) water and salt. Add vegetables and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 105C (225F).

Arrange trout on a tray, skin-side down. Combine sugar and salt and rub on flesh side. Transfer to the refrigerator to cure for 1 hour. Add oil to an oven-proof dish that will snugly accommodate trout. Add fish (do not rinse), flesh-side down, and transfer to oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 45C (113F) and flakes easily — 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer fish to plate, remove skin, garnish with zest and season with pepper. Set aside.

Transfer crème fraîche to a bowl and whisk until loose. Incorporate horseradish and lemon juice. Season to taste and set aside. Combine blood orange, orange and grapefruit in a medium bowl. Use a slotted spoon to transfer rutabaga and carrot from marinade to bowl. Add kumquat and roe. Season with a little Campari marinade. In another bowl, whisk together mixed citrus juices, olive oil and lemon juice. Season. To finish, pour citrus vinaigrette onto a platter and top with room-temperature trout, broken into chunks. Garnish with citrus salad and crème fraîche.