Oven-baked salmon trout with chard

This whole salmon trout, stuffed with lemon and dill, cooks gently in the oven and is served on tender Swiss chard with shallot and a little garlic.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 whole salmon trout, cleaned (each approx. 700–900 g)
• 2 large bunches of Swiss chard
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 lemons
• 1 large bunch of dill
• 3–4 tbsp olive oil
• 25 g butter
• salt
• black pepper

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 200 °C (or 180 °C fan).
• Pat the salmon trout dry. Make 2–3 shallow cuts in the skin on both sides.
• Slice 1 lemon into thin rounds. Zest the other lemon and set aside. Cut that lemon into wedges to serve.
• Finely chop the shallots. Finely chop the garlic.
• Wash the Swiss chard thoroughly. Cut the stems into small pieces and roughly chop the leaves.
• Fill the cavities of the fish with a pinch of salt and pepper, followed by lemon slices and generous sprigs of dill.

Method

1. Season the fish
   Rub the outside of the fish with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
2. Soften the shallot
   Heat 2 tbsp olive oil with the butter in a large pan. Gently fry the shallot over a low heat until translucent.
3. Briefly fry the garlic
   Add the garlic and fry briefly without letting it colour.
4. Cook the Swiss chard
   Add the Swiss chard stems and cook for 2–3 minutes. Then add the leaves in batches and let them wilt.
5. Let the moisture evaporate and season
   Once everything has wilted, cook the Swiss chard for 1–2 minutes a little more firmly so excess moisture evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Stir in the lemon zest
   Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest (optionally keep a little back for serving).
7. Prepare the oven dish
   Spoon the Swiss chard into a large ovenproof dish. Place the salmon trout on top and drizzle with a thin stream of olive oil.
8. Cook the salmon trout in the oven
   Bake the fish for 25–30 minutes until cooked through and juicy. The fish is ready when the flesh comes away easily at the dorsal fin. (Optional: core temperature in the thickest part 52–55 °C.)
9. Finish and serve
   Finish with extra dill and serve with lemon wedges.
10. Serve with potatoes or bread
    Serve with small boiled potatoes, baby potatoes from the oven, smooth mashed potatoes or simple bread to soak up the juices.
11. Check the doneness
    Do not cook the fish for too long: salmon trout is at its best when just cooked and still juicy. For fish over 900 g: allow a few extra minutes and check sooner rather than later.