Salt-cured sea trout, cucumber ribbons, dill oil & buttermilk
A proper summer plate that tastes like the Argyll coast.
Sea trout from the lochs around Tarbet are fat and clean in July. I cure them at home the night before — salt, sugar, a bit of whisky — then shave them thin like smoked salmon, but fresher. The buttermilk cuts through the salt like nobody's business, and the dill oil glints in the sun. Dead simple, but it's the kind of starter that makes people lean forward.
How to Cook It
- 01
Cure the trout
Mix the sea salt and caster sugar. Pat the trout fillet dry, lay it skin-side down on a plate, and rub the salt mix evenly over the flesh side — not heavy-handed, just a firm coating. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 12 hours. The fish will weep brine; that's it working. After 12 hours, rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen roll.
~15 min - 02
Make the dill oil
Blanch the dill for 20 seconds in boiling salted water, then plunge into ice water. Squeeze dry. Blitz the dill with the olive oil in a blender until it's vivid green and smooth — about 30 seconds. Strain through fine mesh or cheesecloth into a bowl. You want a grassy oil, not cloudy. Leave it to settle for an hour.
~45 min - 03
Ribbon the cucumber
Slice the cucumber lengthwise on a mandoline into thin ribbons, or use a vegetable peeler for long strips. Toss gently with a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon (if you have it). Let it sit for 10 minutes — it'll soften and taste fresher.
~10 min - 04
Slice the trout
Working from the tail end, slice the cured trout as thinly as you can manage — aim for near-transparent slices, about 3mm thick. Use a very sharp knife (a sashimi knife is ideal) and wipe it between slices. The skin will come off as you go; that's fine.
~10 min - 05
Plate and dress
Spoon a small pool of buttermilk (about a tablespoon) onto the centre of each cold plate. Drape 5–6 slices of trout around it, and scatter the cucumber ribbons on top. Drizzle with dill oil — a teaspoon over each plate — and finish with a single pinch of fleur de sel and a grind of black pepper.
~5 min
“Keep it sparse. The trout needs to breathe. Cold plates help; chill them in the fridge for 10 minutes before you plate. The buttermilk sits quiet in the centre, the trout draped casual around it, the cucumber scattered loose. A whisper of dill oil. Let the ingredient do the talking — this isn't a plate that needs tricks.”
First bite: the salt hits clean, then the briny sweetness of the trout. The cucumber is cool and herbaceous. Then the buttermilk arrives like a cool hand on your neck — tangy, creamy, cutting through everything. The dill oil rises at the finish, grassy and alive. It tastes like summer on a small plate, and it tastes like money well spent.
Swap the trout for a block of pressed extra-firm tofu, sliced thin and "cured" the same way (salt and sugar, 12 hours, chilled). The tofu takes on a silken texture and absorbs the salt beautifully. Replace the buttermilk with cashew cream (40g cashews soaked, blended smooth with 150ml water, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt) — tangy, rich, and indistinguishable. Keep the dill oil, cucumber, and the fleur de sel exactly as is. The plate will be fresher and lighter, but it'll still feel like summer.
The acidity keeps pace with the salt and buttermilk; unoaked, mineral, no fuss.
Something clean and dry — a Scottish pale ale from Inveralmond or a crisp German lager cuts through the richness.
Lets the fish be the star. The bubbles cleanse the palate between bites; the lemon echoes the dill.
- ·Don't rush the cure. Twelve hours isn't negotiable — it transforms the fish.
- ·Blanch the dill fast — 20 seconds only — or it'll turn brown and bitter.
- ·Slice the trout on a cold board with a very sharp knife; one smooth stroke per slice, no sawing.
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