Trout & Spinach au gratin

This takes about 15 minutes longer than slapping some fish into an oiled pan and baking it, but comes across as much more sophisticated, never mind that it also solves the problem of what to have as a vegetable with it. We had ours with some Oven Baked Polenta, which was convenient because said oven was thus already on, but potatoes or rice would have rounded out the meal nicely too.  On the other hand, the polenta takes an hour to bake so I had a few minute breather after it went in then started preparing the fish. The timing works very well, is what I'm saying.

You could use a white-fleshed fish instead of the (pink fleshed) trout that I used, in which case I would be inclined to throw a few sliced mushrooms in to cook with shallots. You could do that anyway, I guess.

2 servings
50 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

Make the au gratin Topping:
1 stale roll (2 stale dinner rolls)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon rubbed savoury

Slice the roll(s) thinly in one direction then thinly across in the other direction. Crumble the bits up into a small mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until well distributed, then rub in the flour and seasonings. 

Finish the Dish:
3 or 4 shallots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 to 8 cups loosely packed cleaned spinach leaves
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons flour
3/4 cup 10% cream
400 grams (scant pound) skinless, boneless trout or salmon fillet

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Peel and slice the shallots. If you have a casserole dish that can start on the stove then go to the oven, use that; other wise start them in a skillet and transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish at the appropriate time. Heat the butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened and translucent.

Meanwhile, shred the spinach somewhat coarsely. Once the shallots are ready, start adding it to the pan by handfuls, and stir it in until well wilted. (Transfer to ovenproof dish now.)

Mix the salt, pepper, and flour into the cream. Pour it over the spinach and shallots. You can leave the fish fillet whole or cut it into 4 or 5 equalish pieces, which will make it easier to arrange over the spinach; in any case arrange it over the spinach. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the fish. Bake at 350°F until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the crumb topping is lightly browned; about 30 minutes.




Last year at this time I made Broccoli & Cheddar Soup. 

Posted in: Ontario Food