June 21, 2007
Grilled Trout and Spring Vegetables with Fines Herbes
I was absolutely delighted to get Mike’s email yesterday morning detailing his Greenmarket haul: “CHERVIL, cherry tomatoes, rainbow trout, garlic scapes, snap peas, shell peas” it read, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with the bulk of it. I was home from work yesterday and had spent some time in the afternoon cleaning and blanching the peas and favas we had left over from Monday’s shopping, so I was already halfway there.
My thought was that I would slice up some baby fennel bulbs we had in the fridge and sauté them with some of the garlic scapes Mike brought home, and then add a splash of white vermouth, some lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the peas and favas. I’d stuff some chervil inside each of the trout, and chop a bit more of the chervil up along with tarragon, chives and parsley from our garden to finish the veggies.
Mike grilled the trout over indirect heat for about 5 minutes per side, and the veggies took just a few minutes to sauté. I stirred in the fines herbes off the heat just before I plated the veggies up, and then placed a whole trout on top. The rich flavor of the trout was a lovely match for the tender, aromatic veggie/herb blend.
A note about the trout: We get our trout from Max Creek Hatchery at the Union Square Greenmarket, and when Mike was there Wednesday morning, Dave Harris, the owner, told him that the only fresh trout he had available was his farmed rainbow trout because he had lost 600 brook trout to mink this week. This is obviously a big dent in his livelihood, so if you’re a fan of trout or would like to give it a try, please go see Dave at the Greenmarket next Wednesday and buy some of his excellent fresh or smoked trout.
Kitty said,
June 22, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
Wow. That trout looks amazing. Maybe I should add farmer’s market to my list of weekend activities. I love trout.
On a side note, I’ve been reading you for a while now. I “re-did” my kitchen in February and March and my interest in actually spending time there cooking has increased quite a bit. I have used so many of your ideas and appreciate them. I actually haven’t opened my Betty Crocker cookbook in about 6 months! Anyway, thanks!
Jennifer Hess said,
June 22, 2007 @ 2:18 pm
Thanks, Kitty!
Jimmy Legs said,
June 22, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
whoa. all his trout got eaten by mink? like the fur coat things? i don’t even know what kind of animal they are, are they like ferrets or something?
Jennifer Hess said,
June 22, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
Yep, the very same. I think they’re sort of ferret-y, but I’m not sure? Apparently, they like trout.
Joey said,
June 22, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
Hey! Poor Dave had his trout eaten by the wrong species. I wanna buy trout from Dave. Do you know if he sells in the Tomkins Square greenmarket?
p.s. This week I was reminded by Mark Bittman how much I love bean salad. Perhaps this is presumptuous — and maybe more lunch-y than dinner-y — but I’d love to see you do fun salad-y things with beans!
Jennifer Hess said,
June 23, 2007 @ 10:22 am
Hi, Joey, thanks for posting! I’ve never seen Dave at Tomkins Square, but he is always at Union Square on Wednesdays. If you can get over there, definitely do it. The fresh trout is just lovely, and his smoked trout is absolutely delicious. I’m planning to do a batch of smoked trout deviled eggs soon.
I absolutely love bean salads and do them often this time of year, so definitely check back in. I wrote up my black bean and quinoa salad here recently, which is one of my favorites.
Kelly Sue said,
June 23, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
You know, I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea how to prepare fava beans. Now I want to try them.
Jennifer Hess said,
June 23, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
Kelly Sue, if you can get fresh favas, I highly recommend you try them. Fava beans have one of the highest antioxidant counts of all of the beans and legumes, they have a ton of fiber and folic acid, and they are just plain delicious.
ann said,
June 25, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
I’m so glad to know that other people send emails detailing their early morning Greenmarket hauls. I knew I wasn’t alone!
Jennifer Hess said,
June 25, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
Oh, totally!
And since so many of our meals these days are really focused on whatever fresh goodies Mike brings home, it’s nice to hear about the haul first thing in the morning so I have some time to figure out how we’re going to use all of those goodies.
claudia said,
June 25, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
i don’t say this lightly - but again - your blog is amazing. i love your food. you’re a natural. getyoself a book deal girl…
Grant said,
June 25, 2007 @ 11:45 pm
Chervil is an herb that I’ve never used before until recently, but I just love it. This combination you’ve put together looks amazing.
Jennifer Hess said,
June 26, 2007 @ 10:10 am
Claudia - you’re too sweet!
Grant, my first taste of chervil came at our favorite restaurant here. I had beautiful black sea bass filets poached in an herb broth with spring vegetables, and the aroma of the chervil when the dish was set in front of me was absolutely intoxicating. I tried planting it in our garden but the poor little plant only lasted a couple of days - I guess it’s pretty fragile and difficult to grow. When I heard that one of the Greenmarket purveyors had it available, I was on a mission to get some and cook with it. It took us a few attempts - it was often sold out by the time my husband or I got to the market - but we finally got a big bag and it has been just lovely to work with.