Trucha a la Navarra (Roasted Trout with Mint and Jamon Serrano)

Whoever would have thought that mint, jamon serrano and trout could combine to give such a delectable dish! The clever folks from Navarra, Spain, that's who came up with this winner.

Serve alongside mussels, rice and tomato salad for a tasty, yet healthy Navarran feast! Deliciosa!





















Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• Two plump fillets of fresh trout
• Mussels (washed)
  
• 1 Lemon
• Some butter (for sauce & rice)
• Couple of slices of jamon serrano (Spanish dried ham, can substitute with proscuitto if desparate, but it really isn't the same)
• salt & pepper to season
• olive oil for frying
• chopped fresh parsely
• more fresh mint leaves
• chopped garlic
• white rice
• Amontillado (Spanish sherry)
  

For the trout marinade

• Fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup of Amontillado

For the salad

• lettuce
• tomatos
• black pitted olives
• olive oil for dressing

Step 1. The Marinade

1. In a bowl combine the trout fillets with some mint leaves and 1/2 cup of Amontillado










2. Cover with cling-film and place in the fridge for a couple of hours


Step 2. Cook the trout

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F

2. Remove the trout fillets from the marinade (reserve the marinade, you'll need it for the sauce later on..) and season with salt and pepper










2. Heat large frying pan and add olive oil. Add chopped garlic and fry for a minute or two











3. Add one of the fillets to the frying pan; add a wee dash of Amontillado











4. Cover and cook for a few (3-4) minutes











5. Remove cover, turn fillet over and cook for a further couple of minutes











6. Remove trout from heat to an oven-proof dish; and cook the other fillet in the same way











7. Whilst the second fillet is cooking, place slices of jamon serrano and mint leaves on the first fillet











8. When the second fillet is done, carefully slide over the first fillet, as such:











9. Place in the oven (pre-heated to 350F) and cook for about 10 minutes














10. Now, pour the reserved marinade into a small sauce-pan and add juice from a lemon











11. Bring the sauce to a simmer and whisk in a couple of knobs of butter to thicken













12. Turn down heat, and keep sauce warm whilst trout cooks in the oven

13. When trout is ready, remove from oven and pour over the sauce











Trout is now ready to eat! Serve immediately with rest of the meal...


Step 3. Cook the mussels

1. Heat olive in a sauce-pan (big enough to contain the mussels...) and fry chopped garlic and parsley for a few minutes











2. Add the mussels to the sauce pan and pour in a healthy splash (1/2 cup..) of Amontillado











3. Cover and cook for several (5?) minutes. When the mussels are opened, they are ready to serve.


Step 4. Cook the rice

Do you really need instructions on cooking rice? Here we just used Uncle Ben's with a knob of butter. Works just fine for this meal.











Step 5. Make the salad

Mix lettuce, chopped tomatos and a half-can of black pitted olives in a salad bowl.











Drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Ready to serve.