Ocean trout salad

Ingredients

• 200 g brown rice
• 450 ml chicken stock
• 4 spring onions, sliced on the angle, green and white
• 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• Bunch of fresh herbs, torn (e.g. mint, parsley, chives, or a mix)
• 40 g currants
• 60 g slivered almonds, toasted, plus extra to garnish if desired
• 600 g of ocean trout, pin-boned, skin removed
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp ghee, for cooking
• 60 g butter, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra lemon wedges, to serve

Dressing

• ½ preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and finely diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ tsp mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place rice and stock in a heavy based saucepan and cook according to instructions. Remove from heat and spread on a tray to cool. Once cooled place in large bowl and add spring onion, shaved fennel, tomatoes, fresh herbs, currants, and almonds.
2. Scatter trout with fennel seeds, peppercorns, ground coriander and ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes. Heat ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat, add trout skin-side up and cook until golden brown (5 minutes). Turn and cook until medium-rare (3-5 minutes). Towards the end of cooking, add the butter and lemon juice and coat the fish. Remove from pan and allow to rest for a few minutes. Remove skin and reserve to garnish salad.
3. While the trout is cooking, make the dressing by whisking ingredients together in a bowl. Add to rice and stir to combine.
4. Flake trout on a plate and top with the rice salad and crisp skin pieces. Serve with lemon wedges. Sprinkle with slivered almonds if desired.