Method for the Sea Trout
•Carefully tunnel the bone of the trout, going in from the back of the fish and remove the bone and guts, but don’t pierce the belly.
•Pin bone the fillets and check 2 – 3 times to be sure that there are no bones left in.
•Stuff the buttered cockles in to the trout and close, to form a fish shape.
•On a flat tray, covered with greaseproof paper, make a base with salt for the fish to sit on. 24cm long, 7cm wide and 1cm thick.
•Sit the fish on to the salt; carefully cover the fish evenly with the remaining salt. Keeping the shape of the fish.
•Once covered, place into the oven at 190°C for 9 minutes.
•When the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Method for the Salt Mix:
• In a large mix bowl mix the salt and egg whites together to form a thick paste, reserve for the fish.
Method for the Buttered Cockles:
•In a red-hot heavy based pan add the cockles, shallots, thyme, parsley stalks and white wine. Immediately cover with a tight lid.
•Cook for maximum 1½ minutes until the cockles just open up.
• Removed from the pan, pour into a colinder over a bowl. •Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes, pick the cockles out of the open shells, and discard any that have not opened.
•Take a smaller pan and add the butter. Put on to the stove for 4-5 minutes until the butter is nut brown in colour. Remove from the stove and pass though a fine sieve into a bowl, add the lemon juice and salt, clingfilm and place into the fridge until the butter is nearly set but is still workable.
•When the mix has cooled add the cockles and butter together and reserve for the fish.
Method for the New Potato Salad:
•Place the diced new potatoes, into a medium size pan, add the chicken stock, water, parsley stalks & thyme, season with salt and cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are just cooked.
•When cooked, drain the potatoes into a colinder, discard the water, leave to cool but don’t let them go cold.
•Place them into a medium sized mixing bowl.
•Add the onion, wholegrain mustard, mayonnaise and the chopped chives to the potatoes and mix carefully. Season with salt and pepper and reserve for service.
Method for Fennel, Radish & Samphire Salad:
•Remove the tops off the fennel, thinly slice the fennel length ways on a mandolin as thinly as possible to get whole strips
•Place the sliced fennel & radish into a medium bowl and sprinkle with salt and add the olive oil & lemon juice to the fennel.
•Mix in the blanched Samphire, and garnish shells
To Serve
•Divide the Potato Salad between the plates
•Place the salted fennel just coming off the potato salad drizzle with remaining fennel juices, scatter the Samphire. Put the plates underneath the board.
•Put the salt baked trout on to a wood fish board, with toffee hammer, fork and spoon and serve.