Roasted Chalk Stream Trout with Fennel, Herbs & Citrus

by Fiona Sims from A Year on the River (Adlard Coles / Bloomsbury) Photography: Gary Latham & Fiona Sims

Diners gaze out over riverboats chugging along the Thames at Richmond. They nibble on South African-born chef Vanessa Marx’s fiercely seasonal menu at Bingham Riverhouse, a characterful members’ club with 14 stylish bedrooms. It’s all about sustainability here, a passion project for owners the Trinder family and Marx herself, with so many eco-friendly measures in place that it was the first independent hotel in the UK to receive a coveted Certified B Corporation status. The restaurant is open to all, and it’s here that Marx dreams up her delicious plates of food using carefully chosen, locally sourced ingredients. This recipe has been kindly adapted by Vanessa Marx for the book. Chalk stream trout raised in nearby Hampshire is a regular on her menu. It became a firm favourite during the summer months, bursting with freshness, zest and crunch. It might become yours, too.

FOR 4 SERVINGS

Ingredients

1 orange

1 lemon

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

20g chives, chopped

20g dill, chopped

4 medium chalk stream trout fillet portions,

or use salmon fillets

50g butter, softened

50 ml olive oil

Maldon sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°.

Line a baking dish with greaseproof paper to make a nest.

Slice half of the orange, and half of the lemon. Add the sliced citrus into the dish, along with the sliced fennel bulb, chives and dill. Roughly mix to disperse the herbs.

Place the trout portions on top of the fennel and citrus mix, with the skin side up. Squeeze over the juice from the remaining half of the orange and lemon. Rub the outside of the fish with butter and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the fish in the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little extra lemon juice and olive oil to serve.

Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:

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