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Hendrick’s gin-cured trout with buttermilk blini

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Hendrick’s gin-cured trout with buttermilk blini.

By Alice Storey & Emma Knowles
  • 40 mins preparation
  • 15 mins cooking plus curing, proving
  • Serves 8
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Hendrick’s gin-cured trout with buttermilk blini
You'll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

  • 100 gm sea salt flakes
  • 100 gm caster sugar
  • 100 ml Hendrick’s gin (see note)
  • Finely grated rind of 2 lemons, plus lemon wedges to serve
  • 1 side of ocean trout (about 1.1kg), pin-boned, skin on
  • ¼ cup (loosely packed) each mint and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Buttermilk blini
  • 125 gm plain flour
  • 40 gm buckwheat flour (see note)
  • 5 gm dried yeast
  • 175 ml milk
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 150 ml buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 25 gm butter, coarsely chopped

Method

Main
  • 1
    Combine salt, sugar, gin and half the lemon rind in a bowl, stir to combine. Place a piece of plastic wrap longer than the trout fillet on a work bench and scatter a little salt mixture over plastic. Lay trout on top, pat remaining mixture onto flesh. Wrap and refrigerate, turning once, until lightly cured (8-10 hours). Wipe off salt mixture and liquid with absorbent paper, scatter over chopped herbs and remaining lemon rind, pat well into flesh, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required.
  • 2
    For buttermilk blini, sift flours into a large bowl, add yeast and a pinch of salt, stir to combine and form a well in the centre. Warm milk in a small saucepan over low heat until lukewarm, remove from heat, whisk in yolks, then add to flours and stir to combine. Add buttermilk and parsley, stir until a batter forms. Cover and set aside to prove (1 hour). Whisk eggwhite and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, gently fold through buttermilk mixture. Heat one-third of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add tablespoons of blini mixture and cook until bubbles form (2-3 minutes), turn, cook until golden (30 seconds), then remove from pan. Wipe out pan with absorbent paper and repeat with remaining butter and batter.
  • 3
    Thinly slice cured trout with a sharp knife and serve with buttermilk blini and lemon wedges.

Notes

Note Hendrick's gin is available from select bottle shops. You can substitute another good-quality gin. Buckwheat flour is available from select health-food shops.
Drink Suggestion: Hendrick’s martini. Drink suggestion by Max Allen

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  • undefined: Alice Storey & Emma Knowles