Alsatian Sensation: With Fresh Wild Trout

[Alexandria Profile]

Alsatian Sensation ..

The combination of German heartiness and French delicateness characterises Alsatian cuisine and also happens to be exactly what tastes right as Indian Summer mingles with autumn, rich and luxurious, however with hints of the season ahead. September 29th is the Celebration of the October Harvest Fest, where this dish is served ..

This versión takes the best of traditional choucroute garni, however, it is married to wild fresh trout in this récipe verses porc, and it is simmered in White Riesling, with bay leaves and juniper, and lightens up, pairing it without the stick to the ribs dilema .. We have found this dish to be quite a surprise, with a slight acidity of the kraut and the smokiness of the bacon or pancetta, which play up verses dominate, and the wild fresh trout, just a clean freshness to the dish ..

Recipe: ( Alsace Trip ) ..

4 pieces of pancetta or bacon of choice
1 médium sized onion halved lenghtwise and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons of French butter or Asturian butter
500 grams or 600 grams of sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry after "fermenting" in jars ..
1 Turkish bay leaf
1 tsp. sugar ( optional )
Fresh wild river Trout ( 400 to 500 grams ) fillets with skin and pin bones removed or porc fillets
Water ( for fermenting the cabbage with Kraut Kit ) ( I use sparkling water )
White wine glasses of Riesling White Wine ( to cover the fish on the bed of kraut )
2 Juniper berries crushed slightly

1) Cook the pancetta in a 10 inch heavy skillet until lightly Golden but flexible and drain on paper towels.
2) Pour off all but 2 tablsps. fat from the skillet and then sauté the onion with the butter in the skillet and stir occasionally, over low to médium low heat or flame.
3) Stir in the remaining ingredients (except the fish and the kraut ) and season to taste with S & P.
4) Sauté for approx. 10 - 15 minutes covered until the liquid is absorbed.
5) While you heat up the fermented Kraut, place the trout, skin sides down, on a work Surface. Pat fillets dry and lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place a strip of pancetta or bacon on each fillet of fish. Roll up the fillets from wider end, and season, and enclose the Rolls with a toothpick or tiny metal skewer and enclose ..
6) Arrange the Rolls on the sauerkraut and cover with a round of parchment paper and then with the lid of the casserole or Dutch Oven and cook over low médium heat or flame, until the fish is just cooked through, 12 minutes approx. Discard the bay leaf, juniper berries and the skewers or tooth picks.
7) Serve the fish on top of the sauerkraut .. I place the kraut in a mold or large cookie cutter and place the fish Rolls around the mound of kraut .. and two on top of the mound
in a diagonal forming a "X" ..

Fermenting Sauerkraut:

1) Slice the cabbage of choice in half and remove the core and first layer of leaves.
2) Place in a large bowl ..
3) With your hands ( Gloves for cooking and handling ingredients) move the cabbage strips with the " Sauerkraut Fermenting Kit " ingredients and press out all the liquid.
4) Place the cabbage strips into the Jar that comes with the Fermenting Kit and add the amount of lemon juice & sparkling water and herbs if you wish stated on the Kit ..
5) Place in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.
6) Strain liquid and use in this recipe ..


Have a lovely day ..

[Joanbunting Profile]

I find it much easier to pop round to our local bucherie, charcuterie and buy yhe choucroute from them - his wife is from Alsace and I have never taseted any so good!

I also makes the basis for a wonderful stuffing for roasr goose.

[Amyw Profile]

What do you mean by pieces of bacon /pancetta? Surely can’t be rashers , as four rashers would not yield in excess of two tbsp of fat from them ?

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Quite Joan! It's called why keep a dog & bark yourself!

Surprisingly, the author has stated a total disgust for anything fermented in previous posts most vehemently.

[Alexandria Profile]

L. Lush,

Yes, I normally do not care much for fermented foods normally or the "sour" category however, I like this traditional Alsace dish (sauerkraut with wild fresh trout) ..

This lunch is for a an occasion ..

Have a nice day ..


Joan,

Yes, but buying sauerkraut in Barcelona is like looking for a needle in haystack ! Just not so simple ..

I am sure, one can buy it in a Jar, in El Corte Inglés however, it is in a Jar ! I prefer it from fresh sustainable or Bio / Eco Cabbage ..


And I am so rarely at home, that it is a pleasure to create something from scratch and play in the kitch !!


Have a lovely day ..

[Lusciouslush Profile]

[MariaK Profile]

Member 461

I know sauer kraut is not available in Barcelona or the rest of Spain for that matter. Not even in the Corte Inglés - at least not in my days (1970s to early 1990s).

It's the Kit that I don't understand. All you really need is salt - about 15-20 grams per kilo of prepped cabbage. Aromatics (caraway seed - alcaravea and not comino - allspice, pepper corns, bay leaf ...) are optional and you can get those anywhere. Some people use the lot, others none.
As for water, never heard of this being added except in the country where people used to make barrels of the stuff (10 to 20 kilos of cabbage) to keep them going through the long winters . The cabbage needs to be covered by it's own juices at all times or it will go off. If putting into jars all you need to do is tip it upside down from time to time. Can't do that with a barrel - so it may need topping up with extra brine as the juices tend to sink to the bottom.

So what's in the kit?

[Luca Profile]

I was advised by a nutritionist to eat sauerkraut at least once a week and given a recipe. I filed it and continue to buy either from French or Polish deli. I realise it's not so easy for many to buy but in London it's everywhere and perfect for purpose!

[Joanbunting Profile]

Member 461,

Of course if you can't get it you make it. That's just how I eat. It's the same when I go out to eat. I rarely choose something from the menu that I can make myself.

You would be amazed and probably amused to know the lengths i will go to to when I am yearning for the dishes of my childhood - a very long time ago now

As Lush said though there is no need to keep a dog and bark yourself, but you clearly have the need to make your own choucrout. i probably would too if Mme Malavard didn't work her magic.

[Alexandria Profile]

Joan,

Exemplary !


Thank you for your feedback .. I had done this before I had left for Cádiz and Madrid Capital .. Gone for exactly 4 weeks ..

Tomorrow we shall do a taste tasting !!

I prepare it once a year on the 29th of September, and with the Kit, it is very simple ..

And turns out wonderful ..

All my best wishes for a lovely weekend ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Maria K.

Fermentation Kits:

http://www.topproducts.com

I received mine as a gift from one of my twin sons when he and his wife were in France.

[Alexandria Profile]

Luca,

Cabbage is very healthy .. Fermented or blanched until tender and then sautéed in Evoo or used to wrap (stuffed) ground meat or fish .. Or prepared in a Wok with other Asian veggies.
Bok Choi, Black Italian Cabbage Cavolo and there are many other types of cabbage .. Some people ferment red (red violet ) cabbage, which we call Lombardia ..


I believe most cabbage types could be fermented .. A friend of mine fermented fennel with dill and lemon.


Have a nice weekend ..

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I could see this dish with pork fillet, or pork chops...
but somehow, it doesn´t click with river trout. Too many potent flavours ( sauerkraut, onions, bacon) and a delicate fish. Can´t get my head round it!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I’m sure Brasserie Zedel used to do a seafood choucroute, I had it once and it was ok but not the best thing I’ve eaten there. Can’t find it on the current menu

I do make a dish of trout with lardons and white wine based on one by Marika Hanbury Tenison, she put onion in the original recipe but I think it’s better without.

There’s a huge fashion for fermented vegetables here, it’s quite funny that the jars in the Polski sklep are labelled to say that they are pasteurised (if sauerkraut etc.) or pickled in vinegar if things like jars of gherkins because it is more hygienic but there are stalls in the farmers market and cafes in Dalston selling sauerkraut and and other fermented veg because the friendly bacteria are supposed to be good for you.

[Alexandria Profile]

Karakoolaide,

Interesting .. One of the most famous of all dishes in Navarra is Trucha a la Navarra which is Wild river trout wrapped in Iberian acorn fed ham !

So, in all actuality, with a very very thin slice of pancetta finely sliced and rolled inside of the trout, it is quite delicate .. It is not greasy and it provides a slight kick of flavor. Wild Navarran River Trout is quite a large breed of trout with a coral colored interior and it has a lovely moist and slightly oily texture ..

Onions: This all depends on the type of onion one uses .. I substitute a shallot(s) .. One can also sub the White part of a leek finely sliced in tiny arcs or minced finely.


There are numerous récipes for Choucroute in Alsace with porc however, I eat very limited amounts of meat, and when we were in Alsace, I had this dish and it was quite memorable.

So, the restaurant had given me the récipe and I prepare it for the Alsace Harvest Day since, September 29th .. Okoberfest ..


Have a lovely weekend ..

[Uschi Profile]

I don't make my own Sauerkraut, either, because you can buy it everywhere here, pasteurized and alive. But my grandparents still made their own. Traditionally in such glazed clay pots.



White or red cabbage is shredded, salted and layered into the pot (stamping it a bit for the juices) along with some spices (caraway seeds, juniper berries, bay leaves, for instance) and in the end either covered with a lid like this pot or with a fitting plate which is weighed down with a stone.

It can be smelly, though, and not everyone has a cellar or other cool place for it.

[Alexandria Profile]

Uschi,

Thank you for your feedback and photograph contribution of an antique " Cabbage Fermenter " ..

www.topproducts.com

You shall get to the website, and then, type in Fermenting Kit, and there are four various types of modern Fermenting Kits .. Listing positive and negatives of each type ..

Now they use glass jars that come with a cover ..

I follow instructions on machines / utensils / tools and it does state to refrigerate.

No cabbage aromas which I do not find pleasant whatsoever. They are sealed tight and results are fantastic sauerkrout ..

Have a nice weekend ..

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I don't think Uschi's pictures are antique, just traditional - in fact there's one on that site too

But I was replying to say I still can't find a fermenting kit on that site - then I tried again and in fact they are fermentation kits

Lots of them - here's a direct link


https://topproducts.com/reviews/best-fermentation-kit.htm

[Uschi Profile]

You can use all manner of jars. Glass jars might split if you stamp the cabbage too hard and they do not protect the Sauerkraut from light. It might discolour, but I am not sure.

The system may be an old one (the deep rim of the jar is filled with water and the lid is lowered into that. The fit is good, but not airtight, since the fermenting gasses need to go somewhere. They can escape through the water rim and the lid, but the water stops bacteria from the outside getting in. You want the right sort of bacteria, not just any that come along.

But as I said, I buy my Sauerkraut, I don't make it.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

nteresting .. One of the most famous of all dishes in Navarra is Trucha a la Navarra which is Wild river trout wrapped in Iberian acorn fed ham !

That´s not my point, Member 461. I´ve eaten trucha a la Navarra many times, especially in La Candelaria, a Spanish enclave in Caracas, and in my friend´s restaurant; (Antonia ,who is from Galicia, cooks the best fish in the world)and it works very well; the jamón de Beluga works fine with the trout. It´s the sauerkraut that doesn´t do it for me. It´s not just citric, it´s SOUR, and that´s the taste bug I have with this recipe.