Trout Stuffed with Serrano Ham

“Hemingway never ate here!”

These were the words I saw posted last year on the front window of a restaurant in Madrid. Hemingway loved Spain and loved even more the opportunity to eat and drink his way across the country. Some restaurants post signs claiming that the writer used to frequent their establishment, but the restaurant that I saw obviously wanted to buck the trend!

One of Hemingway’s favorite foods was trout. The writer used to go trout fishing in Michigan as a young man and he even mentions trout fishing in his book The Sun Also Rises when Jake and Bill go fishing in the Irati river in Spain.

One of Hemingway’s favorite Spanish recipes was Trout stuffed with Serrano ham (Truchas con Jamón Serrano) served with a sauce of chopped garlic, almonds, parsley and smoked ham. This popular dish is loaded with flavor and only needs a few potatoes or a simple salad served on the side to complete the dish.

The trout is typically fried first in a little oil, but you could skip this step if desired and transfer the fish directly into the oven (but you might then miss the complete Hemingway experience, no)?

The Method

First, several pieces of Serrano ham are lightly fried in oil, then tucked inside the cavity of a fresh trout. The salty flavor of the ham will infuse nicely with the trout.

Next, the trout is dusted with flour, then both sides of the fish are fried in oil for several minutes. You then make a sauce with garlic ‘chips’, chopped almonds, parsley and smoked ham. This sauce is then added on top of the trout and baked in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Sauce for the Trout

Stuffed Trout served with the sauce

This recipe is part of my Spanish Cuisine Month, please refer to my previous recipes for Spanish Tortilla Omelette and Porrusalda- Basque Leek and Potato Soup. Olé!

Trout Stuffed with Serrano Ham

Print Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 whole trout, cleaned
8-10 pieces thinly-sliced Serrano ham
flour for dusting the trout
4 tbsps. oil to fry the trout
For the garlic chips:
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil
For the sauce:
1/2 cup smoked ham, chopped
8 almonds, blanched and chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsps. cider vinegar or sherry
splash of white wine
splash of chicken stock to moisten the sauce
3-4 lemon slices

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 360 F. Roughly chop the Serrano ham and lightly fry in a little oil for several minutes. Let drain on paper towel. Rinse the body cavity of the trout and place the Serrano ham pieces inside the fish. Secure the belly opening with several tooth picks. Dust both sides of the trout with flour; fry each side of the fish in hot oil for several minutes; remove fish and let drain of a paper towel.

To make the garlic chips, peel the garlic cloves and slice very thinly lengthwise. Place the chips inside a pan containing 1/2 cup oil. Heat until the oil becomes hot; continue cooking until the chips turn crisp and brown (several minutes). Be careful not to burn the chips. Let chips drain on paper towel.

Drain the oil until about 1/4 cup oil remains in the pan. Over medium heat, cook together the chopped ham, chopped almonds, parsley and cider vinegar. Stir and add a splash of chicken stock and white wine- just enough liquid to make the sauce moist but not too runny. Add the garlic chips.

Add the trout pieces to a large fry pan or casserole dish and top with the sauce. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top and garnish with the lemon slices. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the trout is fully cooked. To serve, be sure to remove all fish bones before serving.

Notes

If you do not wish to first fry the trout, you could emit this step. You would first fill the fish cavity with the Serrano ham, then bake the raw trout with the sauce.

February 4, 2018 By Fran Flint

Porrusalda- Basque Leek and Potato Soup Churros with Chocolate Cinnamon Dipping Sauce

About Fran Flint

I've lived in Paris, Adelaide and San Diego and love to create tasty recipes from around the world!

Trout Stuffed with Serrano Ham