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[SkagitDreamer]

My girlfriend and I were at a high altitude lake a couple years ago with her then 12 year old, having a great time - with them fishing and me rowing. They decided to each keep a healthy rainbow (I rarely retain fish) and, returning to the cabin, I wondered how I could make a fun meal out of their memorable catch. Here's what I came up with...

I filleted the two trout, leaving the skin on. I then loosened the skin from each fillet, starting from the tail, leaving about 3-4cm of the skin attached near the head side. From that 4cm mark, cutting straight towards the tail, I cut the fillet twice lengthwise leaving 3 strands of rope-like flesh. I then braided each filet with these three strands and cooked them in a sprayed fish grill over a bed of coals - after a liberal seasoning -flipping once until nearly cooked through. Meanwhile, on the camp stove a small pot of water was kept at a low boil. To a stainless steel bowl I then added 4 egg yolks, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and some zest of the lemon. The bowl was placed over the pot with (low) boiling water and I promptly whisked in some leftover champagne (a bit more then half a cup) and proceeded to whisk this constantly both to avoid scrambling the eggs and evenly cook the sauce. After a few minutes the sauce will warm and thicken (technically the temp should be around 168-170 F), expanding in the process and producing a smooth and airy sauce. Remove from heat and keep warm. Serve cooked, braided trout ( I removed the skin, serving skin side down) and top half of trout with champagne sabayon, garnish as desired. I served mine with risotto and grilled asparagus and garnished with lemon zest but anything would suffice. They both enjoyed their catch and still remember it fondly. It's a good way to use up leftover champagne, cider or the like while the braiding was fun for the youngin. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Braided trout fillets (see above)
Egg yolks (about 3 for every 200-250ml of liquid)
Leftover (but effervescent) cider or champagne
Lemon juice - to taste but I used about 2 tablespoons
Lemon zest
Salt & Pepper

Notes:

Don't have water at a full boil.
Don't let bowl touch water.
Whisk sides constantly.
Don't overcook/scramble sauce. (Egg proteins coagulate/cook at a low temp - here we are cooking them but they are the liaison or binder).
Unlike a hollandaise sauce , the sabayon does not use clarified butter.

[banx]

champagne and risotto at the cabin...... like a boss.

[SkagitDreamer]

Lol
I don't drink champagne but my sweetheart does. I don't drink much at all since I found out my liver was unusually large tbh. Italian rice is just... Heritage. Problem is, since then the cooking stakes are higher each successive trip. And, yes, I eat well at a cabin however, there's no time for such things at somewhere like the Skagit.