Go West for Steamed Trout with Fennel

“Go West” – a gay pride anthem, an Ulster Rugby chant and advice dispensed by the then editor of the New-York Tribune, Horace Greeley in 1851 as “Go west young man, and grow up with the country.” The pride anthem was originally released by the Village People in the late seventies and brought up to date by the Pet Shop Boys in 1993. I have that version on my iPod.  I sang the Ulster Rugby version, with tears in my eyes, along with 18,000 others at my hallowed Leinster Rugby ground, the RDS, to honour Nevin Spence, a very talented Ulster Rugby player who died in a tragic accident on the Spence family farm in 2012. I can claim no association with Horace Greeley.

However, all the above are asides to today’s musings. The “Go West” I want to promote today is instruction to a dear family friend, Gerry. He brought us a delicious brown trout, caught by his own fair hand, while on a sojourn in his beloved Connemara. So, I reckon that if Gerry goes west to Connemara, I have a chance of another wonderful wild trout. Just for clarity, this is the real deal. This is no farmed specimen. This was plucked from Lough Mask using decades of practice, guile and local knowledge.

Given the provenance of the fish, I thought it best to keep the preparation simple. So, I steamed it, using the ultra-controllable gas barbecue, on a bed of fennel with white wine.

The beautiful trout, weighing in at well over 2lb, having its last rest, on a bed of fennel.

I folded the aluminium foil over the fish, leaving an opening to facilitate adding the wine.

Like a final request, the condemned fish gets its last drink.

I then sealed the parcel and left it on the barbecue over a medium/low heat for 15 minutes. While this was looking after itself, I prepared some noodles to accompany the fish. First, I chopped some garlic, ginger, red onion and green beans. These were added to some hot oil in my trusty (and not rusty) wok.

I fried these until they started to give off a delicious aroma.

Then I added the sliced beans.

The beans add a lovely bit of colour and crunch to any stir-fry.

I stirred until they reached a hot green colour. That’s enough. Then I added four portions of noodles, prepared earlier.

A good splash of chili oil helps to lift things.

I then poured in a ‘good splash’ of chili oil. Then a couple of good glugs of soy sauce.

“What’s a ‘good glug’?” you ask. “About a tablespoon and a half.”, I answer.

I stirred while it heated through and combined the flavours.

This bit is not an exact science. Experiment to get what YOU like. It’s all about YOU!

I then opened the sealed parcel containing the trout.

WOW! What an aroma. Wonderful fresh fish, fennel and white wine.

Next, I brought the fish, in its parcel, to the table and removed the skin.

This is what a perfectly cooked trout from the West of Ireland looks like.

I then lifted the flesh off the bones. A few stray bones are inevitable. I picked them out while humming my new favourite tune “Go West, there are big trout there, Go West….”

The texture and tone of the meat was fantastic.

We then ate the fish, served on a bed of tasty noodles.

Not my best ever plated shot. But I was more interested in eating than shooting.

This was a truly magnificent dish. The fish was wonderful and, as I type, I am looking forward to having some cold tomorrow. I can only reiterate my original wish “Go West Gerry, go West……”