Smoked trout fattoush

Usually served as an accompaniment, this refreshing Lebanese salad with hot-smoked trout is well and truly a meal in its own right. It’s also perfect for a summer picnic – simply keep the bread and dressing separate and toss together just before serving so the bread stays crisp.

Credit: Benito Martin

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 round Lebanese bread
• olive oil, for brushing
• 250 g red and yellow grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, quartered lengthways and cut into 2cm pieces
• ½ green capsicum, seeded and cut into 1cm pieces
• ½ cup torn flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ½ cup torn mint leaves
• 4 baby radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250 g piece hot-smoked ocean trout
• 2 tsp sumac

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Brush the Lebanese bread with oil on both sides, place on an oven tray and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, radish, parsley, mint in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, half the sumac and season to taste. Coarsely break the toasted bread into the bowl, add the flaked trout and toss gently. Sprinkle with the remaining sumac and a little extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Photographs by Benito Martin. Styling by Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd. Ceramic tray from Royal Doultan; glass vase from Ikea; Falcon enamelware plates from Koskela.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.