Name: Tea “Smoked” Trout with Indian Salsa
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 large red, ripe tomato (peeled and seeded), sliced into long strips (about 1 cup); 1 cup/250 milliliters plain yogurt, well drained (whole milk yogurt is best, but you may substitute either the lowfat or nonfat version if you wish); 1 English cucumber or regular cucumber, peeled with seeds removed, thinly sliced; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 2 pounds/1 kilogram (6 filets) of trout, skin removed; 4 tablespoons/56 grams Lapsang Souchong tea leaves; 1 teaspoon/2 grams cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon/4 grams granulated sugar; 1½ quarts/1.5 liters water; 1 tablespoon/13 grams brown sugar; 2 cloves garlic, peeled then smashed; ½ bunch celery, well washed, thinly sliced in diagonal cuts; ½ teaspoon/3 grams salt; 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters fruity extra virgin olive oil; Freshly ground black pepper; Salt to taste

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Cooking with Tea

By Robert Wemischner and Diana Rosen

Published 2000

About

With its delicate, dense flesh, trout is a perfect fish for this poached-in-smoky-tea treatment. A raft of slow-cooked, caramelized onions blankets each portion and an Indian-style raita of cucumbers and tomatoes in yogurt adds a bit of summer on the plate.

Ingredients

Cucumber-Tomato Raita

1 cup/250 milliliters plain yogurt, well drained (whole milk yogurt is best, but you may substitute either the lowfat or nonfat version if you wish)

Method

Drain the yogurt in cheesecloth or a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl to eliminate excess moisture. Roast the cumin seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they release their aroma. Watch closely, as these burn easily. Grind seeds in an electric spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Combine the cucumber and tomato with salt to taste. Add th