[Recipes Index] [World of Chefs]

Ingredients:

• 1 whole, cleaned and scaled steelhead trout (truite de mer)
• 2 cups peeled, seeded and diced vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and additional for rubbing inside the fish cavity
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 4 sprigs of fresh lemon thyme
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 6 anchovy fillets, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped black olives
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons of good brandy
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse the trout with cold water and pat dry. Rub the inside of the fish cavity with olive oil and, with a small rubber spatula, spread the garlic and anchovy paste inside the cavity as well. Insert the thyme and rosemary sprigs inside of the fish along with one half of the olives. Close the fish cavity with toothpicks.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, wine and brandy. Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil into a baking dish and add the diced tomatoes. Mix the tomatoes and the olive oil with a wooden spoon before placing the stuffed fish on top. Spread the remaining chopped olives over the fish and pour the vinegar, wine and brandy mixture over the fish. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or with foil and bake for forty minutes.

Being careful not to break the fish, transfer the cooked steelhead trout to a serving platter. Pour the juices remaining in the baking dish into a sautŽ pan and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the fish. Garnish with decorative lemon slices and serve immediately.