SMOKED TROUT AND FENNEL SALAD

Discover simplicity and freshness with our Smoked Trout and Fennel Salad! Perfect for a light lunch or a dinner party, it’s full of herby flavour and is sure to impress. Try it today for a refreshing and delicious salad experience!

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Smoked trout & fennel salad on a patterned platter with dill & avocado on the side.

So if you’re looking for a healthy, delicious and simple meal that will make an impression at your next dinner party, then our Smoked Trout Salad is a must-try.

This salad combines the smoky and savoury flavours of smoked trout with the sweet and aromatic notes of fennel, creating a unique and flavorful dish that is sure to please.

With a few simple ingredients and some quick preparation, this dish can be quickly transformed into a light lunch or an impressive dinner party dish.

For similar luxurious seafood salad recipes, why not try the tantalising flavours of our delectable Prawn and Avocado Salad or our marvellous Smoked Salmon Salad?

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Ingredients and Substitutions

This simple smoked trout salad recipe requires only a handful of ingredients, so it is important to choose them wisely.

Smoked trout fillet – found in vacuum-sealed packs at the supermarket or fishmonger. use any smoky fish that takes your fancy try hot smoked salmon, mackerel or herring. At a pinch, you can use some cold smoked salmon or trout cut into strips.
Fennel – we have used two medium-sized bulbs for their wonderful licquoricey flavour. Replace with some shredded wombok/Napa cabbage instead, just add a teaspoon or two of fennel seeds or a pinch of ground star anise to mimic its flavour.
Avocado – for its healthy fat content that also boosts the satiety of this salad, keeping you fuller for longer.
Dill and fennel fronds – to add some bright green colour and again for its anise-like flavour. You can replace it with some parsley if you prefer, but you will lose out on flavour. Add some fennel seeds or ground star anise if you choose to use parsley.
Vinaigrette – we have kept it super simple here and used a no-frills vinaigrette for a creamier dressing; try our buttermilk dressing or sour cream and chive dressing for a creamy alternative.

Labelled ingredients needed to make smoked trout & fennel salad.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Prepare the Trout

Peel the skin from the trout, then remove the head and tail.

PEELING OFF TROUT SKIN ON WHITE PLATE — PEEL OFF TROUT SKIN

CUTTING OFF HEAD & TAIL ON WHITE PLATE — CUT OFF HEAD & TAIL

Slit it open and remove the middle fishbone and other bones.

HANDS REMOVING BONES FROM SMOKED TROUT ON WHITE PLATE — REMOVE THE MIDDLE BONE

HANDS CAREFULLY REMOVING SMALL BONES FROM SMOKED TROUT — CAREFULLY REMOVE ALL SMALL BONES

Flake into large bite-sized pieces, keeping an eye out for any finer bones you come across and be careful to remove all the bones you can find.

LEFTOVER SKIN AND BONES FROM CLEANED SMOKED TROUT — DISCARD SKIN & BONES

FLAKED SMOKED TROUT ON WHITE PLATE WITH BONES & SKINS ON PLATE TO THE SIDE — FLAKE FLESH

Step 2 – Cut Fennel and Herbs

Snip off the fennel fronds from your bulbs (if it does not have many fronds, don’t worry too much; just roughly chop some extra dill).

Wash the fennel, cut off the base, hard fennel core and any damaged parts. Shred finely, either using a mandoline/v-slicer or with a sharp knife.

Keep in a water bath if you are not going to make up this salad immediately to prevent it from discolouring.

Thinly sliced fennel sitting on a wooden board.

Wash the fennel fronds and dill, shake dry and chop finely.

Wash the avocado, remove the pit and peel. Place each avocado half face down on your board and thinly slice vertically.

CHOPPING DILL ON A WOODEN BOARD WITH A STAINLESS STEEL KNIFE

Step 3 – Assemble Your Smoked Trout Salad

Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, add the lemon juice and oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then toss to coat.

PREPARED INGREDIENTS IN WHITE BOWL FOR SMOKED TROUT & FENNEL SALAD

TOSSING SMOKED TROUT & FENNEL SALAD WITH TONGS IN WHITE BOWL

Arrange in a salad bowl and fan the avocado on top of the salad to garnish, finish with a sprig of dill and serve.

To plate this salad up, arrange it in individual serving plates, fan a quarter avocado on each plate and sprinkle some dill fronds on top to garnish.

Serving Suggestions 🍽

This is another one of my great entertaining salads that I love to make in advance and chill in the fridge (sans the avocado, of course) until I am ready to serve; it just has such gorgeous flavours that everyone raves about every time I serve it.

Great served in individual plates or fancy crystal bowls to serve as an appetiser or fantastic to serve at an elegant lunch with some fresh crusty bread. Serve it as part of a seafood banquet alongside Lobster bisque, fish pie, and Belgian mussels. Or as an alternative to meat at a barbecue or roast dinner.

📝 Serving Note: It will make eight generous starters; divide the salad among eight individual plates.

Tips and Questions

The Difference Between Hot and Cold Smoked Fish

Cold-smoked fish is cured in salt to draw out the moisture for several days, this is called dry-cure.
- It remains “raw” as it is cold smoked in temperatures below 4.5°C/80°F. It has more of a fresh subtle smoky flavour than hot smoked fish and a silky texture.
- You will find this style of fish in flat vacuum-sealed packs, sliced and lying on a tray.
Hot smoked fish, on the other hand, is cured in a saltwater brine and then smoked at higher temperatures 50°C/120°F.
- It has more of a cooked and a much more intense smoky flavour and a texture that you can flake. You will find it whole in vacuum-sealed packs.

Can I Make This Smoked Trout Salad Ahead of Time?

You can clean and flake the trout a day or two in advance. Make sure you keep it in a tightly sealed container in the coldest part of your fridge, as it smells very fishy.
For the fennel, I would place it in a bowl and fill it with cold water as it discolours easily and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
For the herbs, make sure that they are completely dry before chopping them up otherwise they will spoil, keep them covered in the fridge.
The vinaigrette can be made several days in advance and kept in an air-tight container in the fridge.
The salad can be assembled an hour or two before serving; however, slice and fan the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.

What About The Leftovers?

This salad can still be enjoyed a day or two after your make it up; the fennel will take on a wonderfully pickle-like flavour from the zingy lemon dressing.
Keep it in a sealed container in a cold part of the fridge. Make sure you eat up all the avocado before storing it, as it browns and will not keep well.
I have also chopped up the fennel and tossed it through some hot pasta with cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a quick hot lunch.
It also works well as a filling for wraps and sandwiches, make sure you drain it well.

Dietary Information

This Smoked Trout Salad is ideal for those on a keto or low-carb diet, with only 9 net grams of carbs per serving. It is also compliant with Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free diets, and each portion contains 514 calories.