Having visited a wonderful restaurant in Cornwall where we had a tasting menu made by Chef Dorian Janmaat, I adored his version of a tartare. Here I have recreated the dish using my own recipe.
Read the recipe first so you can plan when to prepare each element as the cucumber needs to be frozen then defrosted, the trout needs curing and the rice needs cooling. It may look long and complicated but it’s actually simple processes and the result is sublime.
An important note about tartare – guidelines are that the fish should be frozen before using, then throughly defrosted before curing. This kills any parasites.
Pickled Cucumber
10cm piece of cucumber
1 tsp Maldon sea salt
2 tsp rapeseed oil
1 tsp white balsamic
Grind of white pepper
Trout Tartare
1 tbsp. Maldon sea salt
1 tbsp. caster sugar
1 lemon, zested
Freshly ground black pepper
300g trout fillet, skinned and pin-boned
Sushi Rice
125 g sushi rice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp furikake seasoning (sesame seed and seaweed seasoning)
Dressing
2 tbsp shallots, very finely diced
2 tbsp tamari (Japanese soy)
1 tbsp olive oil
Lime, juiced
Wasabi Cream
1 tsp wasabi paste
30g crème fraiche
2 to 3 pinches of salt
a pinch of caster sugar
Pickled Cucumber
Peel the cucumber and cut into 1cm dice using only the flesh and not the seeds. Line a plate or tray with baking parchment, spread the cucumber cubes and sprinkle with sea salt and put in the freezer for an hour or so.. Once frozen, put in a bag and either store in the freezer or use immediately.
To make the pickled cucumber, allow the cucumber to defrost. Whisk the rapeseed oil with white balsamic and white pepper to make a dressing. Add the defrosted cucumber, cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Curing the trout
In a bowl mix together the salt, sugar, lemon zest and pepper. Have a piece of tin foil ready in a dish large enough in which to sit the trout, rub the mixture into both sides of the trout lie on the foil, loosely wrap to make a parcel and chill in the fridge for 6 hours
Remove the trout from the fridge, rinse under cold water then pat dry with a paper towel. You can keep the trout in the fridge until you are ready to use it (no more than 72 hours)
Sushi rice
Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for a couple of minutes until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into a bowl, cover with plenty of water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain. The rice is now ready to use.
Add sushi rice to 175ml of cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat but leaving the lid on, leave to stand for another 15 minutes. Important: Don’t open the lid during the 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan, gently heat whilst whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from the heat.
Once the rice is cooked, transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice. Use a spatula to gently fold the rice using a slicing and lifting motion so you don’t squash the rice, until the vinegar is evenly mixed through. Keep folding to help the cool the rice. Once cooled, cover the bowl with a damp cloth (the cloth should touch the rice as this will help it stop drying out). Let it cool to room temperature. Just before serving the rice, stir through the furikake seasoning.
Wasabi cream
Mix the wasabi into the créme fraiche add a couple of pinches of salt and a pinch of caster sugar. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Dressing
Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Dice the trout into 1cm cubes and put in a bowl. When ready to serve, add the dressing to the diced trout and give it all good stir making sure it is all coated.
To serve
Place a chefs ring in the centre of a plate. Divide the sushi rice into 4 and press it down in the ring with the back of a spoon. Next top with diced trout. Remove the rings, arrange the cucumber and a few dots of wasabi cream and an extra sprinkle of furikake. You want to be able to get some wasabi and cucumber in every mouthful.
Video
Pickled cucumber
- 10 cm cucumber
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp white balsamic or rice vinegar
- freshly ground white pepper
Trout tartare
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- freshly ground black pepper
- 300 g trout fillet skinned and pin boned
Sushi rice
- 125 g sushi rice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbp furikake (sesame seed & seaweed seasoning)
Dressing
- 2 tbsp shallot very finely diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- lime juiced
Wasabi cream
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche
- pinch salt
- pinch caster sugar
Instructions
Pickled cucumber
- Peel the cucumber and cut into 1cm dice using only the flesh and not the seeds. Line a plate or tray with baking parchment, spread the cucumber cubes and sprinkle with sea salt and put in the freezer for an hour or so.. Once frozen, put in a bag and either store in the freezer or use immediately.
- To make the pickled cucumber, allow the cucumber to defrost. Whisk the rapeseed oil with white balsamic and white pepper to make a dressing. Add the defrosted cucumber, cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Curing the trout
- In a bowl mix together the salt, sugar, lemon zest and pepper. Have a piece of tin foil ready in a dish large enough in which to sit the trout, rub the mixture into both sides of the trout lie on the foil, loosely wrap to make a parcel and chill in the fridge for 6 hours
- Remove the trout from the fridge, rinse under cold water then pat dry with a paper towel. You can keep the trout in the fridge until you are ready to use it (no more than 72 hours)
Sushi rice
- Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for a couple of minutes until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into a bowl, cover with plenty of water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain. The rice is now ready to use.
- Add sushi rice to 175ml of cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat but leaving the lid on, leave to stand for another 15 minutes. Important: Don't open the lid during the 15 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan, gently heat whilst whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from the heat.
- Once the rice is cooked, transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice. Use a spatula to gently fold the rice using a slicing and lifting motion so you don't squash the rice, until the vinegar is evenly mixed through. Keep folding to help the cool the rice. Once cooled, cover the bowl with a damp cloth (the cloth should touch the rice as this will help it stop drying out). Let it cool to room temperature. Just before serving the rice, stir through the furikake seasoning.
Wasabi cream
- Mix the wasabi into the créme fraiche add a couple of pinches of salt and a pinch of caster sugar. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Dressing
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- Dice the trout into 1cm cubes and put in a bowl. When ready to serve, add the dressing to the diced trout and give it all good stir making sure it is all coated.
To serve
- Place a chefs ring in the centre of a plate. Divide the sushi rice into 4 and press it down in the ring with the back of a spoon. Next top with diced trout. Remove the rings, arrange the cucumber and a few dots of wasabi cream and an extra sprinkle of furikake. You want to be able to get some wasabi and cucumber in every mouthful.
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