Scalloped Salmon or Trout
Submitted by annmarie1934
Scalloped salmon or trout baked in shells with sauteed fennel, bacon, and a mustard béchamel. An old-school British fish starter with anise sweetness and smoky depth.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsScalloped salmon or trout is a classic British fish course built for dinner-party elegance. Flaked fish, caramelized fennel, and crispy bacon fold into a buttery mustard-spiked béchamel, portioned into scallop shells or small cocottes, and heated through to serve.
The fennel is the flavor linchpin. A short gentle cook in butter softens it first, then a hotter finish with snippets of bacon turns it golden at the edges. That streak of caramelization is what pulls anise-sweet fennel toward savory, making it a proper match for rich salmon or delicate trout.
The béchamel is lean by design. Equal parts butter and flour, whole milk, and fish stock simmered gently for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. A full teaspoon of mustard off the heat at the end sharpens everything and keeps the sauce from reading as bland. Adding mustard off the heat is important because boiling kills its bite.
Break the fish into large chunks, not flakes, and fold gently. Overworking turns this dish into paste.
Pro Tips
- Poach or bake the fish separately before starting, if using raw fillets. Overcooked salmon in the final bake will be dry.
- Use a decent fish stock or clam juice, not water. The sauce needs that sea depth to balance the bacon.
- Individual scallop shells make this feel special, but one gratin dish works just as well for family-style.
- Starting cold? Plan on 25 minutes in the oven. Starting warm, closer to 15 minutes is enough.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Trim the fennel in the usual way, scraping away fibrous threads with a potato peeler, or remove and discard the outer layers if they are tired-looking or tough.
Chop the flesh into small chunks and toss in ½ oz melted butter.
Half cover the pan and leave to cook gently for 10 minutes just shaking the pan occasionally.
Add the bacon, cut into snippets, increase heat and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes until the bacon is cooked and the fennel is steaked with gold.
Season with a good squeeze of lemon and plenty of pepper, and set aside to cool before mixing with the fish, which should be broken into large chunks.
Make a sauce with 1½ oz each butter and flour, the milk and the stock, and simmer gently, half covered, for about 10 minutes.
Away from the heat, season with scant 1 teaspoon mustard, a little salt and plenty of pepper.
Gently fold in the fish mixture and divide between 8 small scallop shells or cocottes or put it all into one large gratin dish.
Cover with foil and reheat in the oven straight away, or if preparing ahead, set aside in a cool place until close to serving time.
If the mixture is cold when it goes into the oven, it will probably need 25 minutes to become thoroughly heated through.
Comments
