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Photograph of Pan-fried Salmon Trout with Creamy Polenta, Roast Vegetables and Prawn Bisque

Pan-fried Salmon Trout with Creamy Polenta, Roast Vegetables and Prawn Bisque

This incredible collection of textures and explosion of flavours includes succulent, sweet salmon trout, served over rich, creamy polenta, with roast fennel, red pepper and courgette, all drizzled with a silky smooth prawn bisque.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Keyword bisque, polenta, roast vegetables, salmon trout
Servings 4

Ingredients

Prawn Bisque (see here for recipe)

For the Creamy Polenta: (or according to packet instructions)

  • 750ml boiling water
  • 120g polenta
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 50g double/heavy cream and/or 50g finely grated parmesan cheese

For the Roast Fennel, Red Peppers and Courgette:

  • 250g/ 1 bulb of fennel, core/stem removed, trimmed and chopped
  • 150g/1 large red pepper/capsicum, stem and seeds removed and chopped
  • 250g/1 - 2 courgette/zuchinni, trimmed and chopped
  • 150g/1 red onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Pan-fried Salmon Trout:

  • 4 fillets salmon trout. Also known as sea trout or sewin. (Alternatively, you could use salmon or trout!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

  • baby pea shoots

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Prawn Bisque (see here for recipe). If using, make the Shellfish Stock and Prawn Bisque, ahead of time.

  3. Secondly, prepare the roast fennel, red pepper/capsicum and courgette/zuchinni - preheat oven to fan oven 180°C /200°C/400°F/Gas 6

  4. Remove the core/stem from the fennel, trim and chop into cubes.

  5. Chop the courgette/zuchinni, red pepper and red onion into similar sized cubes.

  6. Add olive oil and seasoning to the chopped vegetables, either in a mixing bowl or on the baking tray. Stir thoroughly, ensuring all the vegetables are covered in a thin coating of oil.

  7. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 – 35 minutes or until soft and lightly caramelised.

  8. Thirdly, cook the polenta: this is how I make my polenta. Some polenta cooks much more quickly though, and some take up to an hour – so check your packet instructions before you start. My polenta takes around 30 – 35 minutes, so I start cooking it as soon as I put the vegetables in the oven.

  9. Bring the water to the boil in a large pan (I use a non-stick pan) and pour in the polenta, stirring continuously, to ensure no lumps form.

  10. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, with the lid on, but not completely covering the pan. Stir regularly, until the polenta is soft, thick and has absorbed the water. This takes around 30 minutes.

  11. Add the butter and pepper and stir to mix.

  12. Finally, stir in the cream and/or parmesan cheese. Taste, and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Parmesan cheese is naturally quite salty, so you will not need as much salt, if using the cheese.

  13. If serving extra polenta on the side, dot with a little extra butter and some chopped chives or parsley.

  14. NB If I’m serving Prawn Bisque as part of this dish, I do not add cheese to the polenta. If I am not including the bisque in the dish, I add parmesan to the polenta. However, completely up to you.

  15. Finally, prepare and cook the salmon trout: heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan over a moderately hot heat. As the pan heats, season the fillets of salmon trout on both sides.

  16. Add the fish fillets to the pan, skin side down, and cook until the skin is crispy and lightly caramelised. This should only take 1 – 2 minutes.

  17. Turn the fish over, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, until the fish is cooked to your liking, around 10 – 15 minutes, depending on size.

  18. Assemble this fabulous dish: divide the polenta between four warmed bowls.

  19. Top with roast vegetables.

  20. Add a salmon trout fillet to each plate, flesh side down, and drizzle over some Prawn Bisque, (if using).

  21. Scatter over some baby pea shoots and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons and cups
  • chopping board and knife

For the shellfish stock - 

  • large pan
  • colander
  • sieve
  • large bowl
  • muslin

For the prawn bisque - 

  • large pan
  • food processor
  • sieve
  • frying pan

For the polenta - 

  • large pan – I use non stick – and wooden spoon

For the roast vegetables - 

  • large baking sheet

For the salmon trout - 

  • frying pan

With one simple change, this can be a quick mid-week supper or a dish or dishes worthy of a very smart dinner!

As it stands, this is no quick, week-night supper dish! So, I am suggesting three versions –

  1. The first option is an everyday week night version – simply serve the pan-fried salmon trout with the creamy polenta and roast vegetables. It is a complete meal with lashings of flavour, texture and nutrients, but it can be on the table in 40 minutes.
  2. The second option is for a splash out weekend, impress your friends version! Serve it as above, but with the Prawn Bisque as well. I would recommend that you make the Prawn Bisque to eat on one day, save some excess for this recipe, and then create this dish the following day. It will cut down on the work load and ensure you have an incredible starter or lunch the previous day!
  3. A third version, would be to make the Prawn Bisque and serve it as a starter. Then serve the salmon trout with the polenta and roast vegetables as a main course.