Fishing For Compliments: Tom Yum Baked Rainbow Trout!

Tom Yum Whole Baked Rainbow Trout

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Degree of difficulty: very easy

• 1 whole rainbow trout, gutted

• 1 tablespoon tom yum paste

• 1/2 tablespoon oil

• 6 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters or sixths

• 250g/8.8ozs. cherry tomatoes, some halved, some whole

• 2-3 small chillies, sliced

• 8 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce

Turmeric Rice

• 1 cup jasmine rice

• 1.5 cups water

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 220C/440F and line a tray with parchment and place the trout on the tray. Mix the tom yum paste and oil together. Brush the paste inside the trout and on both sides of the outside skin. Place the garlic cloves inside the trout and sprinkle a tablespoon of fish sauce inside the trout. Scatter the tomatoes, chillies and onion around the trout. Lastly top the fish with the shredded kaffir lime leaves and remaining fish sauce. Bake for 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile make the rice. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Add the water, turmeric and salt and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to very low leaving the lid tightly on and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Tip: while rainbow trout can have small bones in the fin area, it is quite an easy fish to debone and remove the centre bone from. Just watch out for the tiny bones that may remain behind.