Smoked Trout and Pickled Fennel Salad - Recipe by Amelie Wasiliev
Ingredients
1 whole fennel bulb, fronds reserved, thinly sliced
1 cup (250mL) white wine vinegar
2 Tbs superfine sugar
3 Continental or telegraph cucumbers
2 cups (70 g) watercress
2 fillets (about 225 g) smoked trout, coarsely flaked
1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
Scant 1 cup (200 g) labneh or other soft cheese like ricotta or feta
1/4 cup (40 g) capers, drained
1 bunch of dill, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs olive oil, or to taste
Salt and black pepper
Method
Start by making a quick pickle for the fennel.
Place the sliced fennel in a bowl or jar, leaving the fronds aside to use later. In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, 1 cup (250mL) water, sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt over medium to high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat and carefully pour the hot liquid over the sliced fennel, trying to submerge as much of the fennel as possible. Put the pickled fennel into the refrigerator to accelerate the cooling process.
To prepare the cucumbers, use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin cucumber ribbons, stopping when you get to the seeds. Flip the cucumber over and repeat on the other side. Continue with all the cucumbers, discarding the inside seed portion.
To assemble:
Assemble your salad straight onto a serving platter or in a large shallow bowl. Scatter the watercress evenly over the base of the platter, layer the cucumber ribbons on top, creating swirl-like shapes with them. Next, remove the pickled fennel from the refrigerator and drain off the pickling liquid (you can save the liquid for your next quick pickle).
Scatter the fennel over the watercress and cucumber, separating the slices as you go. Scatter over the flaked smoked trout and sliced radishes. Gently spoon small chunks of labneh evenly over the salad, then finish with the capers, fresh dill and reserved fennel fronds.
Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to taste.
