Ohrid trout

Ingredients

• Trout — whole, gutted4
• Lemons3
• Garlic6 clove
• Parsley40 g
• Thyme4 sprig
• Olive oil80 ml
• Potatoes800 g
• Dry white wine150 ml
• Paprika1 tsp
• Salt and pepperto taste

Salt and spices grow more slowly than the rest: doubling a dish does not double the pepper.

Weight converts to ounces and volume to cups. Grams of flour are not turned into cups, because that depends on how tightly it is packed.

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the trout, pat them dry and cut two slashes on each side.

   10 min

2. 2

   Rub the fish with salt, pepper, paprika and olive oil inside and out.

   8 min

3. 3

   Tuck lemon slices, garlic, parsley and thyme into each cavity.

   8 min

4. 4

   Slice the potatoes thin and lay them overlapping on an oiled tray.

   12 min

5. 5

   Set the fish on the potatoes and pour over the wine and the remaining oil.

   5 min

6. 6

   Bake at 200 °C for twenty-five minutes, until the skin colours.

   28 min

7. 7

   Test at the spine and serve straight from the tray with a wedge of lemon.

   6 min

About the dish

Ohrid trout is endemic to the lake and its catch is tightly restricted. The recipe substitutes river or rainbow trout, and that is worth calling a substitution.

The fish bakes whole, head and skin on. The skin holds the shape and keeps the flesh from drying; a fillet falls into threads in the oven.

The lemon and herbs go inside rather than on top. The aroma works from within, and on the outside herbs simply burn and turn bitter.

Worth knowing

• — Slice the potatoes thin, or they will not cook in the fish's time. Thick rounds stay raw under the trout.
• — Test at the spine: the flesh should lift easily from the bone. Overcooked trout turns dry instantly.
• — Ohrid trout is protected and its catch is limited. It is more honest to use rainbow trout in the recipe and say so plainly.

Nutrition

Per serving at the base yield, calculated from the ingredients rather than measured in a lab.

Calories

520 kcal

Protein

46 g

Fat

24 g

Carbs

32 g

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