Christmas – roast trout, pomegranate tabouleh, grilled sumac bread

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 4 x 350g rainbow trout
  • sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper ½ cup extra virgin oli
  • e oil
  • 1 cup burghal
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch mint, finely chopped
  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 tsp nigella seeds
  • seeds of 1 pomegranate
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp sumac
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 pita breads

Instructions

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Use a sharp knife to score the trout in parallel lines, then season with salt and pepper. Rub with 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
2 Meanwhile, combine the burghal with 2 cups chicken stock in a medium saucepan and set over a moderate until simmering. Fit the lid and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Allow to cool, then mix in the tomatoes, parsley, mint, walnuts, nigella, pomegranate, lemon juice, half the garlic and 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt.
3 Arrange the trout on a lined oven tray and bake for 20 minutes, until firm to touch. Mix the remaining garlic and olive oil with the sumac and cumin, then rub onto pita breads. Cook on a hot grill for 5 minutes, turning several times, until crisp. Serve with fish and tabouleh.