An oily fish such as trout ticks all the nutritional boxes. Low in saturated fat, high in protein, and a rich source of omega 3’s – essential for heart and brain health and to build a strong immune system. No wonder it’s recommended by Public Health England to be eaten at least once a week.
Award-winning nutritionist Lucy Williamson says: “Trout is also one of the few foods that contains Vitamin D which is vital for immunity and healthy bones, plus Iodine which is known to be low in our UK diets, but essential for healthy growth and development. It’s also a great source of Selenium and other antioxidants for protection against cell damage. All age groups can benefit by getting trout into their diet on a regular basis. Nutrient rich, delicate and easy to eat makes trout the perfect food in older age too. I cannot recommend it highly enough, especially during this pandemic when we can all take simple steps to improve our health.”
Of course, it’s all very well talking about the health benefits, but what about the taste? Ask any chef and they’ll tell you they favour trout for its wonderful clean taste and firm flesh. And it’s less fatty than some other oily fish.
Boneless trout fillets and steaks are available in most supermarkets. The British Trout Association tell us that there is an educational job to be done in convincing the public that trout is easy-peasy to cook. It might be because when we think of trout, we visualise it with head and tail and bones. However, most trout these days sold in supermarkets will be packed as fillets and steaks so the hard work has been done for us. It is also one of the most sustainable fish you can buy so better for the environment.
Bottom line is if you can cook salmon steaks then you can cook trout steaks. Simply grill or fry for a few minutes on each side. It’s as easy as that! So why not get some variety into your diet and make a resolution to include trout more often? And by buying British you will also be supporting the hardworking British farmers and the wider economy.
STEAMED TROUT WITH GINGER AND SPRING ONIONS
This Asian-style one-pot trout recipe is light and has health-giving ginger and garlic too. Follow British Trout on social media for more fin-tastic ideas.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pak choi, halved lengthways
- 4 British trout fillets
- 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, halved and sliced into matchsticks
- 70g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (use reduced sodium if preferred)
- 50ml Chinese rice wine
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Rice to serve
METHOD
- Heat the oven to 200˚C/Gas Mark 6.
- Mix together the prepared spring onion, ginger and garlic, then sprinkle 1/3 of this mixture over the bottom of a shallow lidded casserole pan, or in a lipped roasting tin.
- Arrange the pak choi over the top, then sprinkle over another 1/3 of the spring onions mix and top this with the trout.
- Mix together the mirin, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, pour over the fish, then scatter with the remaining spring onion mixture and season with a little black pepper.
- Put on the lid, or wrap tightly with foil, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with rice.