Alpine Trout Mi-Cuit with Fermented Plum, Dill Oil & Pumpkin Seed Praline
Trout about now — autumn's answer to summer's show-offs.
The Salzkammergut's glacial lakes throw up some of Europe's cleanest trout — fish so delicate they need barely a whisper of heat. I first did this in a cramped kitchen near Hallstatt, where a local fishmonger handed me a fillet still glistening, and a jar of his grandmother's fermented plums. The contrast—silken fish, tart pickle, nutty crunch—felt like autumn tasted back.
How to Cook It
- 01
Prep the praline
Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until golden and fragrant, shaking often. Pour onto a board, cool briefly, then roughly chop. Warm honey gently in a small pan, toss through the seeds, season with a pinch of fleur de sel, and spread on baking paper. Once cool (about 10 minutes), break into shards.
~15 min - 02
Make dill oil
Blanch fresh dill in boiling salted water for 90 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Squeeze dry, chop roughly, and blitz with the cold-pressed oil and a tiny pinch of salt in a blender until smooth and emerald. Strain through fine muslin or a coffee filter (no rush; let gravity do it). Set aside.
~10 min - 03
Cure and rest the trout
Pat trout fillets dry with kitchen paper. Lay skin-side down on a clean board, season flesh-side generously with fleur de sel. Leave uncovered in a cool place (not the fridge) for 12–15 minutes. You'll see the surface glisten—that's osmosis at work, drawing moisture and firming the flesh ever so slightly. Pat away any bead of liquid with paper towel.
~15 min - 04
Gentle poach
Bring a shallow pan of salted water (or half water, half court-bouillon) to exactly 50°C—use a thermometer, don't guess. Slide the trout fillets in skin-side up. The water should be barely moving; if bubbles appear, you've gone too hot. Cook for 6–8 minutes. The flesh will turn opaque at the thickest point but remain butter-soft within.
~8 min - 05
Plate with restraint
Lift each fillet onto a warm plate using a fish slice. Drain any pooled liquid. Spoon a small mound of fermented plum (with a little of its liquor) to one side. Drizzle dill oil around the plate in three or four pools. Scatter praline shards over and beside the fish. A whisper of lemon zest. Fleur de sel one more time on the skin.
~3 min
“Don't fuss. The fish is the star—it should sit proud and glistening on the plate, its skin still catching the light. Fermented plum goes beside, not on top; dill oil pools around (it will separate, so drizzle just before service). Praline scattered across, a few shards fallen artfully onto the bare ceramic. A tiny pinch of fleur de sel on the skin so it catches your eye. Warm plate, cold fish, room-temperature everything else. Simplicity is the only luxury worth having here.”
First bite: the trout's silken, almost buttery texture with that delicate mineral sweetness. The fermented plum cuts through—tart, funky, alive—followed by the praline's honeyed crunch and walnut oil's gentle earthiness. Dill rises on the mid-palate like a whisper through a pine forest. Finish clean and bright, the lemon zest lingering just long enough to make you want another forkful.
Replace the trout with a thick slab of roasted celeriac (about 150g per person, cut lengthwise, rubbed with walnut oil, roasted at 200°C for 18–20 minutes until golden and tender). The celeriac's natural sweetness and silken texture when roasted echo the fish's richness without pretending to be something it's not. Keep the fermented plum, dill oil, pumpkin seed praline, and lemon zest exactly as written. Plate identically. The dish loses none of its autumn sophistication—just trades the lake for the soil.
Mineral, green-apple acidity cuts the oil and plum; Austrian whites understand Alpine fish like no other.
Crisp, malty sweetness echoes the praline; body enough to carry the dill's herbal weight without overpowering.
Local autumn cider—sharp acidity, no sugar rush—mirrors wine's palate-cleansing role.
- ·Don't skip the 12–15 minute cure. It's not precious faffing—it changes the trout's texture from flabby to firm.
- ·Mi-cuit means 'half-cooked': 50°C is your target. A cheap digital thermometer pays for itself in fish.
- ·Make dill oil the day before; it keeps three days, and separation just means you shake it back together.
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