Dive head first into Quebec's nature in this special episode of Chef Christian at the Pourvoirie du Lac Blanc!
This week, Chef Christian takes you fishing and explains his connection to this activity, which is so dear to him.
And of course, the show wouldn't be complete without a delicious local recipe! Chef Christian presents his favorite outfitter recipe: an Italian-style two-trout tartare, made with the day's catch.
A dish that will delight your taste buds and make you want to go fishing yourself. Watch now!
Thanks to our partners: Vaillancourt Riou & associates, lawyers and the Pourvoirie du Lac Blanc .
Ingredients
For the smoked trout brine
- 2 cups coarse salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Lemon juice
- Syrup from Doc de l'Érablière Mathieu Montplaisir or regular maple syrup
- Cognac
For the Italian-style two-trout tartare
- Fresh trout fillets, cut into small cubes *see Notes for quantity
- Smoked trout fillets, cut into small cubes Quantity: 1/4 to 1/3 of the volume of fresh trout
- 1 Italian tomato
- Fine herbs, to taste: parsley, chives, basil
- Chopped garlic to taste
- A few tablespoons of mayonnaise and/or spicy mayonnaise
- A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
- A few drops of Tabasco or other similar hot sauce
- Balsamic cream to taste
- 1 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs optional, but gives a nice texture!
Preparation
Smoked trout fillets
- In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar and coarse salt well.
- Cover the bottom of a large rectangular dish with a first layer of the brine mixture. Add a layer of trout fillets on top. Alternate layers of brine mixture and trout fillets, making sure to drizzle lemon juice between each layer.
- Drizzle with Syrup from Doc de l'Érablière Mathieu Montplaisir or maple syrup and Cognac.
- Let it brine in the refrigerator for 1 hour to 1.5 hours per pound of trout.
- When the brining period is complete, rinse the trout fillets in cold water, then pat dry to remove excess salt.
- Add fish spices to the fillets before smoking (this is Chef Christian's signature touch!).
- Smoke the fillets with maple chips for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the quantity of trout to be smoked. Be careful not to overdry them. On a multi-tier smoker, reverse the racks halfway through cooking to prevent fillets closer to the heat source from becoming too dry while those higher up remain too moist.
- Check for dryness and stop cooking when the texture is to your liking. Let cool before using in tartare.
Italian-style two-trout tartare
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the tartare mixture well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Serve very cold, with baguette croutons or salted pita chips and a mesclun salad with balsamic cream.**
- Enjoy with a good Quebec white wine. Chef Christian recommends the "Prémices 2019" white wine from Vignoble Les Artisans du Terroir.
Notes
*Quantities depend on the number of people being served. As a guide, 2 or 3 medium trout are needed for a starter for 4 people, if you also add a portion of smoked trout. Otherwise, 3-4 trout are enough for a meal for 4.
**Please note: the tartare will not keep for more than a day in the refrigerator once mixed with the mayonnaise. However, it can be stored without the liquid for 2 to 3 days.
