Poached Trout with Hollandaise & Truffles

Yield 4
RECIPE Ingredients
  • 1 trout, about 3lbs, gutted with head on
  • 1 large bunch mint, dill, tarragon, parsley, or a combination, stems on
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 2 cups water or fish stock
  • Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1/2 cup Summer Truffle Peelings
Recipe notes
This recipe for tender poached trout is indulgent but not at all heavy, with just the right balance of delicate fish, creamy sauce and toothsome summer truffles.
RECIPE Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Stuff the fish with the herbs, using the hard stems to secure it inside. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Pour the wine and water into a flameproof baking pan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Place the dish in the pan and cover with a piece of parchment paper or tin foil.
  4. Place the fish in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, until the skin pulls away from the flesh easily.
  5. Remove the fish from the pan and allow to come to room temperature. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and take the fillets off the bone. Place on a platter. (I save the bones to make fish stock.)
  6. Prepare the Hollandaise sauce (this makes 1 cup): melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat.
  7. Heat the lemon juice in a small pot over a low heat—do not boil.
  8. Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Lower the heat to low and add the egg yolks. Whisk to combine.
  9. Add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water from the double water to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Do this until you have added a total of 4 tablespoons boiling water to the egg yolks. Then whisk vigorously until the eggs thicken to about the consistency of a zabaglione or egg custard sauce. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
  10. Remove the eggs from the heat and slowly add the melted butter, whisking the whole time, until the sauce is thick and shiny, just a minute or two. Add salt to taste.
  11. Pour the Hollandaise sauce over the fish. Add the truffle peelings, and garnish with fresh ground black pepper to taste.