820 Gin cured chalk stream trout

Recipe by Alistair Craig, Executive Head Chef at The Montagu Arms Hotel

Learn how to make our elegant 820 gin-cured chalk stream trout—perfect for a refined summer feast at home.

Ingredients

  • Whole trout scaled, filleted and pin boned

  • 300g Sea salt

  • 100g Caster sugar

  • 20g Juniper berries

  • 5g Black pepper

  • 100g Gin

  • 1 bulb Fennel

  • 500g New potatoes

  • 1 Bunch watercress

  • A few fresh herbs

Method

  1. Blitz juniper, pepper, salt, and sugar in a blender until well combined
  2.  Place the trout on a non-reactive tray (stainless steel, ceramic or glass) and pour 50g of gin over the fish, ensuring most of it covers the flesh side
  3. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the trout, pressing it gently onto the flesh side.
  4. Cover the fish with cling film and place a light weight on top and refrigerate for 24 hours to cure.
  5. Remove the trout from the fridge, wash off the salt mixture, and pat dry with paper towels
  6. Add the remaining gin over the trout and leave covered in the fridge for another 24 hours
  7. Boil the new potatoes until soft and allow to fully cool
  8. Slice the trout into 2mm thick slices
  9. Finely slice the fennel and cut the potatoes into 1cm slices
  10. Toss the potatoes, fennel, and watercress lightly with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and black pepper

Does this recipe sound tempting? Although this dish is not currently on the menu at our New Forest restaurant, The Terrace, you'll be sure to find many other mouth-watering lunches and dinners created by Alistair.

Join us at our restaurant in the New Forest for a unique dining experience, followed by an afternoon relaxing in the hotel garden, or exploring the quaint village of Beaulieu.