Let's be truthful, we've never fully appreciated trout. We've always considered it to be an everyday fish, not really suitable for dinner parties or more elaborate recipes. However, all considered, Italy is one of the major producers of trout in the world.
Trout have always been widely fished in the Mediterranean and now are now chiefly bred in fish farms. Trout, like all fish, is highly nutritious, but has the advantage of being good value and delicious in a variety of dishes. These recipes are decidedly Italian but with an exotic twist. We dedicate them to our foreign guests who have brought new ideas and flavours to Italian cuisine and of course to all you cooks with a taste for adventure!

Rainbow Trout En Croute Feeds 8 500 g of flaky pastry 2 soles (approx. 450 g) 400 g of asparagus 300 g of salmon trout in fillets 150 g of king prawns 50 g of Dry Martini 35 g of butter finely chopped mixed vegetables (celery, carrot, bay leaf, onion, parsley, shallots) dry white wine olive oil thyme marjoram salt pepper egg 8 empty scallop shells. Sauce: 200 g of fresh cream 50 g of dry white wine chives salt pepper Preheat the oven to 220°C. Peel the prawns and fillet the sole. Add the peelings to the vegetables with some wine, salt, pepper and half a litre of water and boil for at least 30 minutes to make the fish stock. Strain and leave aside. Chop the prawns and sole and marinate for 3 hours in the Martini with thyme and marjoram. In the meantime defrost the pastry and clean and chop the asparagus. Adjust the seasoning of the strained vegetables and add to the marinated fish. Drizzle with oil and divide among the scallop shells. Roll out and prick the pastry. Cut it into 8 pieces and cover each of the shells with the pastry. Glaze with the beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Make the sauce while the trout is cooking by reducing the strained stock, cream, chopped chives, salt and pepper until the sauce thickens. Serve the fish piping hot with the sauce along with a bottle of Sauvignon dell’Alto Adige (in Italian only).

Trout with lime in aspic Feeds 8 800 g of rainbow trout 350 g of string beans 12 g. leaf gelatine 2 egg whites 2 limes butter shallots white wine olive oil salt pepper Stock: discarded trout bones fins and tails 150 g of leek 2 carrots a stick of celery parsley bay leaf dry white wine salt black peppercorns Sauce: 400 g of green tomatoes 120 g of extravirgin olive oil basil salt pepper Preheat the oven to 200°C. Fillet the trout and make the stock with the discarded bones, tail and fin, 700 ml of water and ingredients as above. Boil for 25 minutes. In the meantime put the trout and chopped shallots into a greased oven-proof dish. Season, drizzle with oil and pour over a glass of wine. Cook for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Strain the stock and add the gelatine (previously soaked in cold water). Whisk well and heat gently adding the lightly whisked egg whites and a pinch of salt. Bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and add 6 ice cubes. Strain once more and add the juice and grated rind of the limes (reserve some lime rind). Layer the trout and beans in a 1-litre terrain. Sprinkle with reserved lime rind and pour over the aspic. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Blend the tomatoes, 100 g of water, basil, salt and pepper and serve with the terrine. Wash down the dish with a glass of Blanc de Morgex (in Italian only) from the Val d'Aosta.

Strange but True

August in Bedonia (PR) means one thing - the traditional Sagra della Trota (Trout Festival), where the titular fish is cooked in huge pans under the chestnut trees in the town square.
Go to Trasaghis, in Friuli, in May for its Trout Festival, held in the magnificent backdrop of the local lake.
If you go to Trentino, don't forget to taste the local smoked trout, fresh river trout smoked and served in thin slices with a cream and radish sauce. Delicious!