ORGANIC RED CHARD SALAD WITH GRILLED WILD STEELHEAD TROUT

by THE GOURMET GRANDPA

86450

Intro: ORGANIC RED CHARD SALAD WITH GRILLED WILD STEELHEAD TROUT

While not everyone will like chard, it is considered by many to be the world's healthiest food. The benefits well outway the flavor of this leafy green vegetable which tastes somewhat like a cross between beet greens, kale and spinach. Chard is extremely high in minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and it is believed to boost the immune system and lower blood pressure..

STEP 1: INGREDIENTS (for 2 Servings of Salad and 1 Serving of Grilled Steelhead Trout)

For the Salad:

  1. 1 bunch of organic red chard (It may be called Swiss Chard; you can also use Rainbow or green chard)
  2. 2 TBS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  3. 3 or more cloves of Garlic (or to taste)
  4. 1 red chili pepper, seeds removed (I leave a few in to spice up the salad) (Optional)
  5. 1/2 teaspoon of whole Coriander Seeds
  6. 2 TBS of Queso Fresco cheese for topping (or cheese of your choice; Blue & Goat Cheese would be good) and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

For the Steelhead Trout:

  1. 1 portion of raw wild Steelhead Trout (8 to 10 ounces) per person, skin on (this fillet weighed 10 oz)
  2. 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
  3. 1 teaspoon Garlic Oil
  4. 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Salt Sense (or sea salt or Kosher salt)

STEP 2: PREPARATE THE FISH:

  1. Heat a heavy pan or small cast iron skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of whole coriander seeds. Stir or toss the seeds until they become fragrant (about 2 or 3 minutes), the remove them from the heat and crush them in a mortar.
  2. Brush the fillet of trout with garlic oil, then squeeze a little lime juice over it.
  3. Spread the crushed coriander seeds evenly over the fleshy side of the fillet and sprinkle it with salt.
  4. Wrap the seasoned fillet in plastic wrap and set it aside while you prepare the salad.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE SALAD INGREDIENTS

  1. Thoroughly rinse the chard under running water, then dry or remove as much water as possible from the leaves.
  2. Remove the leaves from the heavy center stalks, tearing them into pieces as you do so, and set aside.
  3. Chop the tougher center stalks into pieces about 1" long and set them aside.
  4. Remove seeds (or most of them) from a red chili pepper and finely chop the pepper. Set aside.
  5. Smash, peel, and slice the garlic and set aside.
  6. Measure out 1/2 teaspoon of Coriander seeds and set aside.

STEP 4: INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat broiler to 450 - 500 degrees F. (with rack on top shelf)

Brush a small broiler safe pan or cast iron skillet (my choice) with garlic oil; place the fish fillet in the pan skin-side down and keep it handy.

Heat 2 TBS of good quality extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

  1. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, whole coriander seeds (and diced red chili if using). Stir fry for about 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
  2. Quickly add the chopped red chard stalks to the pan; turn heat to low, stir, and cover and cook for about 4 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan, add the torn chard leaves, stir to coat with the oil, garlic, coriander mixture; then recover the pan and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.
  4. Simultaneously place the small skillet containing the fillet of Steelhead Trout under the center of the broiler and begin grilling it for about 4 minutes.
  5. After the chard salad has cooked for 3 minutes, remove the lid and sample a leaf. If it is cooked to your satisfaction, uncover the pan and remove it from the burner; otherwise continue to cook for one more minute.
  6. By this time, the fish fillet should also be cooked to perfection; like salmon, you don't want to overcook wild caught trout; it should be firm to the touch (or easily "flaked" with a kitchen fork).
  7. Remove the trout from the broiler; turn it over in the pan using a metal spatula; the skin can then easily be lifted off and discarded. Turn the fillet flesh side up and squeeze a little lime juice over it; then plate it along with a portion of the red chard salad.
  8. Plate a portion of salad alongside the fish fillet; squeeze a little lime juice over it, season with salt to taste, and add crumbled Queso Fresco.

STEP 5: TIME TO EAT . . .

Another little squeeze of lime juice was all the Steelhead Trout needed, but, in addition to lime juice, the Red Chard Salad needed several pinches of salt to bring out the flavor. I also think crumbled blue cheese instead of queso fresco and a generous sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds would improve this salad even more.

Bon Appétit

STEP 6: NUTRITION

I have prepared the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer.

You can eat all of the Red Chard Salad that you want since 1 serving as prepared here only contains 181 calories; however, it contains a whopping 716 mgs of potassium and 7 grams of protein.

On the other hand, the grilled fillet of wild caught Steelhead Trout contains an amazing 70 grams of protein (and 401 calories).