Lemon Trout with Dandelion Greens
Della Chen ©2022 by Amy Pennington. Excerpted from Tiny Space Gardening by permission of Sasquatch Books
"Whole fish can sometimes be intimidating, but trout cooks quickly and tastes great. No need to clean anything—commercial trout comes already scaled and gutted," writes urban gardener Amy Pennington in Tiny Space Gardening: Growing Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Small Outdoor Spaces. "I learned this wholesome and healthy recipe from my friend Jaime years ago; it has been a standard of mine ever since. Whole trout is cooked quickly under the broiler and served topped with a salad of dandelion greens and almonds. The dandelion greens are quite bitter, but work well with the subtle fish. They are also very healthy for you; ounce for ounce, they have more vitamin A, iron, and calcium than broccoli. Harvest new dandelion growth in spring; older, bigger leaves are too tough and woody, and their flavor is harsh."
How to Make It
1
Preheat the broiler, first raising a rack to the highest position in the oven.
2
In the bowl of a mortar and pestle, mash and grind the garlic clove. When the oils have covered the walls of the mortar, remove and discard the garlic flesh. Add the almonds to the bowl and grind until they are broken up into smaller pieces. Add the dandelion greens and lemon zest and mash all the ingredients together until combined. The mixture will look a little bit like a salad and a little bit like a pesto. Inconsistency in the size of the leafy bits is perfect. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and give it one last stir with the pestle. Set aside.
3
Meanwhile, season the trout on both sides and inside the belly with salt and pepper. Insert several lemon slices into the belly of the trout. Place on a sheet pan and lightly coat the trout with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Place the sheet pan directly under the broiler, and broil on one side until the skin starts to shrivel and char, 4-5 minutes. Take out the pan and flip the trout with a spatula. Return to the broiler and broil the other side until charred and cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
4
Place the broiled trout on a platter and spoon the dandelion salad over it. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 handful sliced almonds
2 handfuls dandelion greens, coarsely chopped
1 lemon, zested then sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
1 whole trout
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1
Preheat the broiler, first raising a rack to the highest position in the oven.
2
In the bowl of a mortar and pestle, mash and grind the garlic clove. When the oils have covered the walls of the mortar, remove and discard the garlic flesh. Add the almonds to the bowl and grind until they are broken up into smaller pieces. Add the dandelion greens and lemon zest and mash all the ingredients together until combined. The mixture will look a little bit like a salad and a little bit like a pesto. Inconsistency in the size of the leafy bits is perfect. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and give it one last stir with the pestle. Set aside.
3
Meanwhile, season the trout on both sides and inside the belly with salt and pepper. Insert several lemon slices into the belly of the trout. Place on a sheet pan and lightly coat the trout with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Place the sheet pan directly under the broiler, and broil on one side until the skin starts to shrivel and char, 4-5 minutes. Take out the pan and flip the trout with a spatula. Return to the broiler and broil the other side until charred and cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
4
Place the broiled trout on a platter and spoon the dandelion salad over it. Serve immediately.
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