Today I’m back with another recipe. Although I usually like to keep things super-simple and quick here on the blog, sometimes we all have those days when we want to make something a bit fancier. Something that’s as rich and indulgent as if we’re in a restaurant or hotel but comes with the added advantage of being able to eat in front of the telly in our PJs (I ate this yesterday evening in front of The Apprentice!)

Today’s post is a challenge in collaboration with The Grand Hotel York; a five-star hotel that is also known for its fine dining. They challenged me to recreate one of their gluten and dairy free dishes from scratch at home (With a few adaptations of course) to show that fine dining is possible for anyone!

I was excited when I heard I’d be recreating their trout with prawns and quinoa. I eat a lot of fish but to be honest, I’m not at all creative when cooking with it usually. I just pop it in the oven and add a squeeze of lemon. So I couldn’t wait to get stuck in with a proper fish dish!

I made a few tweaks to accommodate my diet (I personally omitted the chard as I’m not a fan but I’ve kept it in case you are!) but otherwise, I was really impressed with how straightforward it was! I can’t believe I never cooked quinoa in chicken stock before as I’ve always got some left over and it’s such a simple way to liven it up!

Sea Trout with Prawns and Quinoa

No Ratings

Ingredients

2 portions of trout
200g quinoa
100g prawns
2 diced shallots
A pinch of chives
2 teaspoons of curry powder (or paprika will do)
80 g dairy-free yoghurt (I used M&S soya yoghurt)
150 g chicken stock
1 leaf of chard, (optional)

Instructions

To cook quinoa
Firstly place required quinoa in a pan then add chicken stock until the quinoa is completely covered, bring to the boil.
Once boiling lower the heat and simmer for around 12-15 minutes until soft
Strain the quinoa through a sieve, the chicken stock left is no longer needed.
.Place the quinoa on the side until needed again.

To make curried yoghurt (this will act as a side sauce or you can drizzle over the dish):

Add the curry powder to plain natural yogurt until the desired taste is required, add a little salt, then place in fridge until needed.

To cook trout:

Start to pan fry the trout in a frying pan with a little bit of oil (I used hemp oil)
When cooking fish with skin on always cook the skin side first, after around 3-4 minutes the skin should be golden and crispy. At this point turn over and seal the other side, then place on a tray with a little bit of butter and lemon juice and place in the oven at 180 degrees for 3 minutes. As long as the fish is fresh, trout is perfect to eat slightly undercooked, holding its moisture and flavour.

To finish dish:

While the trout is in the oven, Fry the diced shallot until caramelised then add the cooked quinoa and shrimp, add a knob of butter to keep the quinoa from drying out while it’s reheated. Finish with a pinch of chives and seasoning.
(Optional) Place the chard leaf in a pan of boiling water and butter for 1-2 minutes until the leaf is soft. Then pull out onto a cloth to catch the excess liquid.
Serve fish alongside the quinoa, shrimp and chard. Either drizzle curried yoghurt over the dish or serve as a side.

This is such a simple dish to make but the seafood and ingredients made it feel really fancy! I’ll definitely be making it again! I am really enjoying experimenting with soya yoghurt on my breakfast lately-but never really think to use it as a base for dressings. Although it doesn’t look quite as smooth as regular yoghurt, it blends really well with things like paprika and curry powder to create a lovely sauce! I’ll definitely be making it again!

This post is in collaboration with The Grand York Hotel