Sous-vide Steelhead Trout with Black and White Rices
BY BILL ST. JOHN
In French, to cook something “sous vide” means that the food has been put “under vacuum” (in a plastic film pouch), perhaps partially cooked, but finished cooking in very warm, even hot, water. Commonly, flavorings or marinades are added to the pouch so that they, too, cook alongside.
Marczyk’s sous-vide steelhead trout (a tender member of the salmon family) comes from Scotland and is air-shipped via Gatwick Airport in even less time than it takes to fly in fish from Boston. Marczyk’s flavors its sous-vide steelhead with either extra-virgin olive oil, bay leaf, and lemon, or with a green curry sauce. Either is among the simplest of fish to prepare. This recipe is for 1 large or 2 medium servings.
Ingredients
1 packet Marczyk Fine Foods Sous-Vide Steelhead Trout (either type)
2 quarts water
For the rices:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup Campanini Venere Black Rice
1/4 cup Campanini Vialone Nano Rice
2 cups Aneto Chicken Broth (regular or low-sodium), heated to simmering and to the side
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Make a dryish risotto: Melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat and sauté the shallot for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add the rices and coat the grains with the melted butter and shallot. Add a ladleful of the broth, incorporating the liquid into the rice, stirring occasionally. Continue doing this, 1-2 ladlefuls at a time, until all the broth is used up and the rices are plump and creamy. Stir in the ground pepper and set aside to cool. (May be done ahead of time and refrigerated; bring to room temperature, warm, and break up the rices to serve.)
To cook the fish: In a large pot, set the water to the boil and, when at a rolling boil, remove from the pot from the burner and set aside. Immediately place the sous-vide packet in the water and time a soak for between 7 to 10 minutes, to your taste. At 7 minutes the fish is just cooked through and quite soft; at 10 minutes, well-cooked and firm.
Serve the fish with a green vegetable or salad of your choosing, along with the black and white rices.