Unique Fjord Trout - Lunchbox World

I am excited to share with you last night’s events! This unique fjord trout is coming to a Tesco near you! An event at the Good Housekeeping Institute Dining room in Soho London had me learning about the fjord trout from Norway, that’s launching this October in Tesco’s, thanks to the Ambassador and Michelin Star Chef, Daniel Galmiche, who shared his passions with us.

To the average Joe, the fish portion, colour, texture looks like just like salmon, and you would be forgiven for thinking this, but there are subtle differences. For starters, the whole fish looks different – the salmon is a dark grey fish, longer, with bigger tale and fatty deposits all over its body. The fjord trout however is a whiter fish, with pinky turquoise shimmer on its scales, is shorter, chunkier and the fat is around the belly area only.

The Unique Fjord Trout

Then we look inside at the fish and see the differences in the fleshy structure, the fjord trout is more dense, is a similar but somehow richer pinky salmon in colour. Then we come to the taste – the fjord trout has a slightly nuttier taste, but less of a fishy taste. It’s hard to describe. You will simply have to try it! So keep an eye on the fish counters near you for Norwegian Fjord Trout, or, if you’re an absolute foodie, trot up to Billingsgate Fishmongers where you can already buy it. This will be quite a trend I think as top chefs such as Simon Hulstone, and many others are already embracing fjord trout and cooking up dishes with it!

It is farmed up in the Norwegian Fjords, close to a 10,000 year old glacier, which gives the fish its pure unique taste. The fish are fed a sustainable natural diet and the fish have loads of water to swim about in, although they still have a tendency to huddle together at the top! In an area dedicated to them, there is just 3% fish to 97% water. There’s a short TV show clip that’s soon to appear on Great British Chefs, which I’m dying to share with you, but it has to air on TV first… This clip will have you yearning for a trip up to the fjords and to hike the glacier and kayak on the fjord, just like the Michelin Chef, Daniel Galmiche does in the TV film. What totally inspired me however to try the fish, and to sample cooking a portion myself is his delightful intoxicating passion for citrus fruits, limes (he never goes anywhere without these!), lemons, for cooking with a variety of herbs including lemon grass, flat parsley, coriander, to name a few, then quickly rustle up pan seared fjord trout using flaked almonds, flat parsley. The main difference with salmon is that this unique fjord trout can cope with all sorts of flavours, herbs, so experimenting and tantalising the tastebuds is then a joy. I just found the Great British Chefs clip in an article on the Telegraph for you to watch… So please hop over and watch it, enjoy!

Back at the event we learnt how to fillet, cook, marinate, smoke, pan sear / pan fry and what types of herbs can be used as accompaniments. I can’t wait to sample a portion of fish so I can create some salad and lunch time recipes to share with you!

The michelin star chef Daniel Galmiche took to the floor demonstrating the differences between fjord trout and salmon, educating us on the filleting, chopping, skinning techniques. With a flick of the wrist and a cut with the knife the head was off, he had filleted the fish and the one side of the fish was ready to be sliced into portions, then pan-fried. He had carefully plucked out the cartilage with pliers, teasing them out from the flesh.

Top tips for cooking fjord trout in the frying pan:

1 use a square piece of greaseproof paper in the bottom of the frying pan. This prevents the fish from sticking to the pan and leaving a fishy aroma to the pan

2 drizzle olive oil in the pan by using a pastry brush to flick the drops over the greaseproof paper. Have the ring on at approx 160-170C

3 wait for the pan to warm up, then carefully place the fjord trout chunks in the pan. Do not place in the pan until you hear the sizzle when the fjord trout hits the pan. Daniel prefers to keep the skin on, and to crisp it up. “It’s delicious!” he cried.

4 sprinkle over salt, freshly chopped flat parsley, flaked almonds. Once the salmon turns a baby pink shade at the base, carefully turn on its side with a mini pallet knife.

5 once all sides are baby pink, with the centre still darker pink, remove from the pan.

6 serve!

Fjord Trout Canapés

We sampled some deliciously unique fjord trout canapés that had been lovingly prepared by the lovely Sarah from Mango Catering.

These are quick and easy to prepare. You just need a little patience! and the usual knife skills!

Marinated Fjord Trout

The Japanese are huge fans of fjord trout, they love using the fatty belly section for sushi and also for marinating raw. You just need to marinate over night, which is quick by some fish standards.

Similar to the price of salmon, an initial guide price has been suggested of @12.50 / kilo, but do check at your local supermarket as prices may vary and there may well be introductory offers. A standard adult portion is 120-140g, so for a family of four you would be looking at approx £6.00 for the fish, which is comparable to 500g of lean minced beef.

So you can see how intrigued I am to try out the marinated salmon in salads, for a quick lunch box solution! A delicate one! Be sure to follow the blog for future posts.

My final moment with Daniel Galmiche…