Crispy Trout with Warm Beans, Leek and Dill

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables and dressing

   Slice the leek into thin half-moons and dice the celery into small cubes. Finely grate the lemon zest and squeeze out exactly 25 ml of juice. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, 15 ml olive oil, half of the chopped dill and 1 g black pepper.

   
2. 2

   Soften the leek and celery

   Heat 5 ml olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leek, celery and 2 g salt. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and become lightly browned in places around the edges; they should not turn dark brown.

   
3. 3

   Finish the warm beans

   Add the drained beans and vegetable stock to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 minutes, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate. Stir in the spinach and cook for about 1 minute more, just until wilted. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the prepared lemon-mustard dressing and the remaining dill. Season with the remaining 3 g salt and 0.5 g black pepper.

   
4. 4

   Sear the trout skin-side down

   Thoroughly pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with the remaining 3 g salt and the remaining 0.5 g black pepper. Heat the remaining 5 ml olive oil in a clean pan over medium-high heat. Place the fillets skin-side down and gently press them with a spatula for the first 20 seconds so the skin makes even contact with the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the flesh underneath is almost opaque. Turn the fillets over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork; the thickest part should reach 63 °C.

   
5. 5

   Serve

   Divide the warm beans among four plates and place a trout fillet on each, skin-side up, to keep it crisp. Serve immediately while the beans are warm and the fish is juicy.