Trout off!

They say one is either pregnant or not - precise and no haziness. I wish I could say the same when it comes to trout. I like it, I do not. Or do I?  It’s always been a see-saw relationship with trout. Something fishy about it! The family and friends always seem to be relishing it. I mean it is tasty, if cooked well, but is it something to die for? Well………….

It has I think to do more with the kinds of fish one likes – the Ilish (Hilsa), the chital (clown knife fish), koi (carp but not the brightly coloured ones), pabda (pabo catfish?), bekti (Barramundi), the white pomfret; in fact the list is endless. I also have no hesitation in saying that I am crazy about imported salmon and though I valiantly try to cook Indian salmon, it is no match. It is like having vodka with freshly squeezed orange juice and vodka with the tetra pack substitute, Hic!

Could it be because the trout and I have a history? It was the Banjara Camp in Sangla Valley (Himachal Pradesh) so, so many years ago that the fish got the better of me.  The camp, I guess by now all know, has Swiss cottage tents with attached baths and the works and is a little paradise on earth. So there we were knee deep in the gushing Baspa river next to the camp, armed with   fishing rods with colourful baits and above all, armed with utter confidence. Okay I admit a somewhat supercilious mien too, after all wasn’t I a true Hilly-Billy, pahadi by blood and birth and hadn’t I fished in less friendly waters.   And when my line went taut I was bursting with pride. Well pride does go before a fall and after a hectic struggle – the trout had the last laugh. It managed to flee leaving me a laughing stock.  I was determined to have nothing with the damned trout ever.   But as they say never say never, sigh! Especially when getting packages of trout from Manali is a regular affair.

And for all those who think snagging trout involves fancy fishing gear, think again. Of course, one learnt this in an unusual manner. This was at Raju’s Cottage, at Goshiani, next to the Tirthan River, (Himachal Pradesh again) that haven of warmth, comfort and natural beauty.  (Village and PO Gushaini, Via Banjar, Kullu-175123, Himachal Pradesh . Phone: +91-9459833124. Email: goshaini@yahoo.com. Website:http:/tirthanvalley.blogspot.in/) This was many moons ago too, much before the delightful double storied Himachali wooden cottage was covered by creepers (as it now). After overnight stays at state tourism bungalow at Chindi, the Banjara Camp at Shoja, we drove through the Jalori Pass and on to the cottage run by Raju Bharti and his wife Lata. We preferred to opt for sitting in the trolley over the river, pulled by Raju’s guys instead of driving further up, crossing the small wooden bridge and walking through the orchard to the cottage.  

 

An old picture of Raju Bharti's Cottages

 

This is how you access Raju's Cottage!

  

There were other guests too and someone decided to go fish for trout that was part of the lunch menu. I kept a safe distance, though to be honest I would have laughed the loudest if yet another trout gave the heave-ho and scooted off. Nothing happened; no one came anywhere near to even baiting one. Just when the fun was wearing off, one of Raju’s guys who had been keeping an eye on the antics, waded into the gushing river armed with a wooden bat like implement (the ones you see wielded by dhobis and people washing clothes in hill streams), peered into the river, gave two hard thwacks, put his hands into the water, came up with two fat trout and walked into the kitchen without even looking back. Lata made trout curry Indian style, not too spicy, not too oily just perfect, simple and just divine. The Johnson’s Café at Manali (run by Piya Johnson) is another place where you can varieties of trout dishes, from fried trout with roasted almond sauce to baked ones with different sauces to what-have-you, every bit delicious.

But somewhere in me, I still can’t get myself to buy trout or even bother to find out interesting recipes. Let’s agree that it is a little bland fish and it’s the sauce and the accompaniments that make it appetising. A somewhat stretched theory I propound whenever there is any trout talk is that since it was the Europeans who introduced the fish to the Himalayan waters, apparently around the 1860s first in Jammu & Kashmir and later in Himachal Pradesh, we tend to treat trout as a delicacy because of the herd mentality, if the colonial rulers took pains to introduce in Indian waters, there must be something good. Sure, remember yoga had to be imported into the country for us to take to it in a big way.  If that sounds churlish so be it, Amen!

I could easily turn a vegetarian but for the fish and oh the pork too! Fish is something I can eat anytime, anywhere. There was this eatery in Burano, a fishing village off Venice.  We went there because naturally one had to see a fishing village. Village? I guess there are fishing villages and there is Burano.

Burano village!

 

Fishing for compliments!

 

And so to sea......

 

We had lunch at one of those sunny cafes with seating outside where you can turn a happy lotus eater and watch the world bypass. It goes without saying that since were in a fishing village the main  course had to be fish.It was nothing extraordinary, nothing to rave about or compliment the chef, bit on the bland side but whether it was the ambiance, the company or whatever, we devoured all but the head. The waiter of course thought it was a testament to the delicacy quotient of the dish,  more so when we Indians had eaten every bit, that he insisted we record it for posterity, of course with him as the star. We did.    

 

Just head, not tails

 

Back on the trout trail, during the trout season, thick fat ones, frozen and packed find their way to our kitchen, thanks to generous friends in Manali. So once again I found myself staring at trout that I didn’t know how to convert into tasty items. 

 

Triple trout

 When in doubt what does one do? I chose to play it ultra simple.  Just marinated the fish with generous dollop of lemon juice, a bit of lemon zest, some salt and layered the insides with thin lemon circles. It was sauce making time – after foraging around in the kitchen cabinets I decided that it had to be simple too so it was orange juice (Ceres – I like the natural tartness it has), a bit of diced capers, one fresh red chili, de-seeded and diced minutely, freshly ground pepper and a bit of  brown sugar. Dunked the whole thing in a saucepan, put it on high flame and stirred around till it reduced to half and slid in a bit of butter. It was time to tackle the fish -heat up the grill pan, put in a few drops of olive oil, wiped with a kitchen towel ,put in some butter, let it melt and lined the fish in the pan, sizzling all the way.   After 5/6 minutes on each side, the fish came out somewhat charred and crispy on the outside. To go with the fish was a salad of rocket, baby spinach (all homegrown on the terrace ahem!), iceberg lettuce, orange segments, pips removed and each segment cut into two. The dressing was olive oil, lemon juice, a bit of sugar, a bit of salt, pepper and a dash of red chili powder whipped up properly.  The other salad  was boiled potatoes cut into cubes mixed with very finely minced onion and generously dressed with hung curd whipped with mustard powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

So how was the trout, I think the sauce worked fine!!

Homegrown rocket and spinach!

 

Side by side - terrace grown rocket and spinach

 

All time favourite- potatoes!