Smoked trout and shrimp pie with cucumber salad
An early Easter is a mixed blessing. Good to have Lent over and done with, but it is a bit of a false dawn. When Easter is in April, there is a chance of a few early fruits and vegetables, but March is basically winter. My pie is more like a sausage roll, but there is no reason not to make it round. You can easily substitute salmon for the trout.
Wine to serve with the smoked trout and shrimp pie: Smoked trout and Riesling is a match made in heaven, as the lemon/lime and freshly cut apple flavours of the wine complement the smokiness of the fish, while the lively acidity cuts through any richness. An Alsace Riesling would fit the bill, as would one from Germany, Austria or New Zealand.
Next, why not try more great recipes from the House & Garden recipe archive?
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the pie
For the cucumber salad
Preparation
Method
Step 1
Chop the trout quite finely before placing in a food processor with the egg white (save the yolk) and 300ml cream. Add no seasoning, but blitz until smooth and homogenous. For perfect results, pass through a sieve using a plastic scraper. If it tastes smooth and without lumps (it is perfectly edible raw), this can be skipped.
Step 2
Place it in an ice cold bowl and slowly beat in the remaining cream, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate it all. Season with salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little cayenne or Tabasco and taste. Fold in the shrimps.
Step 3
Lay out a rectangle of puff pastry 30 x 20cm on a sheet of greaseproof paper and mould the mousse into a sausage shape along the middle, leaving a 3cm border at each end.
Step 4
Lift up one side of the pastry and brush its exterior with egg yolk diluted with a little milk. Bring up the other side, which should overlap the first side by 2-3cm. Roll this sausage over on to its other side and tuck in the ends like a parcel. Brush the surface well with egg wash and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Peel the cucumbers lengthwise into ribbons, working around the seedy stalk, place in a col-ander and sprinkle over 2tbsp salt. Leave for 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off and dry in a salad spinner. Dress with the sugar, vinegar and dill.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/mark 4. Brush the pastry again with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes. A needle through the pastry into the centre should emerge hot and clean. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes and serve in thick slices – either hot or cold – with the cucumber salad alongside.
