Le Coin Français Trout Recipe by Darren Badenhorst

Fillet the trout and remove skin with a sharp knife, then combine the cure mix by hand - salt, sugar, coriander seeds, peppercorns, zest and chopped fennel. 



Dust cure mix in tray. Lay the side of trout on top of cure mix, then cover with rest of the cure mix and cure in the fridge for 2 hours, based on a 2 kg whole fish (add 1 hour per kg if required, or if using Norwegian/Scottish/Chilean salmon as a substitute). Then rinse under cool running water and dab dry. Store covered in the fridge. 

Do the curing process first, then follow the garnish steps accordingly so as to have correct timing on completion. 

For your squid ink tuille/net, combine the oil, water, flour and squid ink, and thoroughly mix together. Store in a squeezy bottle or sealed container.

Place a non-stick pan over a medium-to-high heat and add a touch of oil till just smoking. Pour enough mixture to make 3-4cm diameter circles, and let cook till bubbling.

Dry - once small holes form, remove with a fine metal spatula or cake lifter. Remove from heat and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. 

Let it cool completely and keep in a cool dry place in a sealed container.

For prolonged storage, take the small silica capsule out of any new shoe box and keep it in the sealed container to the side of the tuilles. This will remove moisture and allow storage for up to a week.

Peel the 2 lemons for candied lemon with a sharp knife or peeler.

Remove any white pith from the inner surface. Slice into thin lengthways strips known as juliennes. Place the sliced zest into a small pot and cover with cold water (cold is vital).

Bring to a simmer and immediately drain the water, then re-cover with cold water again. Do this process four times in total to remove bitterness. On the fourth, cover with cold water, add the sugar and vanilla, then reduce the mixture with the zest in until you have half the volume.

Remove from heat and place in a container in the liquid and let completely cool. This keeps for 10-14 days minimum, so feel free to do beforehand to reduce prep on the day if required.

Top tip - It makes a beautiful cocktail garnish too.

For the herb emulsion, place buttermilk, parsley, baby spinach, dill, yoghurt powder/yoghurt and vanilla paste into a blender, and blend till smooth.

Adjust sweetness and acidity with excess lemon syrup from the candied lemon peel to taste and based on preference, then store covered in the fridge. Mix by hand before use.

Peel kohlrabi, slice into long strips and chiffonade (very fine slice) into as long and thin strips as possible, and refresh in ice water (use a spiralizer if you have one). Store till use.

Just before serving, mix a small amount of limoncello through to add acidity and soften slightly - leave this till the last minute so as to ensure it doesn’t overcook in acidity. Drain excess off prior to plating. 

Portion trout into 1cm by 3cm slices working on 3 slices per portion for a starter. Double the thickness of slices for a main course if required. 

As per given picture, pour/pipe herb emulsion, about 2 tablespoons, in the centre of your plate. Place your trout slices one-third of the way into the emulsion, and the next two pieces at right angles to each other. 

Take your kohlrabi and mix together in a bowl to form a ball-like shape. Place it over your emulsion, covering a small part of your trout and continue to garnish your plate with the rest of your ingredients as displayed in a uniform circular pattern.