ROASTED TROUT, CAPER AND OLIVE CROSTINI

Roasted trout, caper and olive crostini. “This is one of those super simple things that seems to be so much more flavoursome than the ingredients or the time taken to make it would allow. It’s a tasty and different snack to serve up – ideal as a nibble for a drinks party or even as quick light lunch on a larger piece of toast. You can play around with the ingredients, add some sweetness with some finely chopped dried apricot or even some chopped sundried tomatoes and a few chilli flakes. It is also a good one to prepare in advance if you like, just make sure you bring the mix out of the fridge to allow it to come back to room temperature, before you pop it on the toasts, so it’s nice and tasty. Enjoy!” – Tim Maddams.

Recipe courtesy British Trout Association

Makes about: 12 canapés

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1 British trout fillet
1 sprig of thyme
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 teaspoon tomato purée
1/4 of a lemon for squeezing
1 small baguette
50ml extra virgin olive oil
A handful of good black olives
1 teaspoon capers
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
1 sprig basil
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven – 180 c

• Season the trout fillet with salt and pepper, thyme leaves and a pinch of chilli flakes. Mix the tomato purée with a squeeze of lemon juice and spread this over the trout.
• Bake the fish in the oven for 10 minutes and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Slice the baguette into thin slices and drizzle with a little olive oil and season. Place these on a baking sheet and bake until golden – around 5 minutes should do it.
• Pit the olives and roughly chop, place them in a small mixing bowl and add the lightly chopped capers, roughly chopped basil and parsley, and a dash of oil.
• Flake the cooked trout into the bowl and stir gently to dress everything together.
• Rub the cut garlic clove onto the crostini. Place heaped spoonfuls of the mix onto the crostini slices and serve. Also makes an excellent addition to garlicky flatbreads or stirred into pasta for a quick and simple lunch dish.