When we think of sashimi, we often think of saltwater fish; freshwater fish rarely comes to mind.
This is because freshwater fish like rainbow trout can carry parasites that may be harmful to humans.
While I promote eating wild-sourced food, I do not recommend this recipe with wild-caught trout if you are not sure it is free from parasites.
For this reason, great care should be taken if attempting this recipe.
To do this, the fish should be deep frozen to -0.4f. However, most home freezers cannot reach this temperature.
Another option is to purchase the fish from a fish farm with a management plan for parasites.
Fish must be frozen for at least 48 hours below -18°C. During this period, harmful parasites are killed.
Most household freezers cannot reach this temperature, so you must make sure that yours does; otherwise, buy fish that was already frozen like this.
Freezers at restaurants freeze raw fish at -35°C, which is even safer. This is the most important part of getting ready to make sashimi; once you acquire safe to eat fish, you can make sashimi.
Now that we have all the important things out of the way, we can discuss the recipe.
Rainbow trout is relatively mild, which was considered when making the recipe. The sauce adds a little kick, as do the sides, as any good sashimi recipe should have, but we do not want to overpower the dish entirely.
Rainbow Trout Sashimi
Note that freshwater fish may contain parasites this dish should only be consumed if you are sure there are no parasites.
Ingredients
- 800g rainbow trout
- 4tbsp light soy sauce
- 1tbsp cranberry sauce/jam
- 1tbsp lime juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 black garlic clove
- Daikon radish straws for serving
- Pickled ginger for serving
- Young Yarrow leaves for serving
Instructions
⦁If You have bought already prepared rainbow trout fillets for raw consumption, make sure to remove bones and skin from the flesh and sprinkle a bit of salt on the fish; this way, it will stiffen a bit, and some moisture will be removed. Otherwise, prepare the fish by filleting it, removing the bones, and freezing for 48 hours below -18°C.
In the video, I first kept it frozen and then filleted the fish; I advise you to first fillet and then freeze it because if you are choosing a slow freezing method, ice crystals that are formed during the freezing process will tear the flesh of the fish, it will become mushier thus the process of filleting fish will be more difficult as You can see from the video.
If You can, I advise you to flash freeze fish, this way, more ice crystals form and are smaller, thus resulting in a better texture. Before consumption, thaw the fish in the fridge or for no more than 2 hours at room temperature and sprinkle once again some salt on it.
⦁While the fish is stiffening and losing moisture, prepare the sauce: in a mortar and pestle, add a pinch of course salt and garlic (simple and black, black garlic gives a nice and round smoky taste, but if you do not have access to black garlic, plain garlic works fine).
Grind everything well until You get a paste; salt acts as an adhesive agent. Then add cranberry jam, mix it well and add the rest of the ingredients. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, finely chop garlic, and mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Finally, add some chopped chives.
⦁To serve, cut fish into slivers, and arrange them onto a plate; you can try to achieve height by folding fish pieces over each other; that way, it looks more appetizing. Put some shredded daikon radish and pickled ginger on the side, and sprinkle over some greens like young yarrow leaves. Dip trout into the sauce and enjoy. Bon Appetit!
Rusty enjoys connecting food and nature and has done so since a child. He was fortunate enough to explore cuisine worldwide and work at great European restaurants. He now enjoys thinking up new recipes that he can find around him in nature in North America.