A fish for all seasons

Every cook needs a few "ace in the hole" kind of recipes that s/he can use whenever the occasion for them arises. For example, if I need a very simple quick meal, for late at night or with friends, spaghetti with olive oil and garlic fills the bill. I always have all three ingredients on hand. And as I said early on, to quote Alice Waters "if you have eggs, you can eat." And there are always eggs in the house.

These are fine dishes, that are nourishing , easy, and comfortable. But what about parties? Is there anyone out there who has not felt the press of time when people are coming over? If so, then I really need to take some l essons on organization and planning from you, because in 25 years of having parties, I still run into the problem. And then there's the "what in the name of God am I going to make?" question. Something tasty, something unusual, something that will make people pay attention.

I have a few of those, and here's one of them. I make it with smoked trout, which I can get very easily, but I have also made it with smoked salmon, with smoked sable, with any smoked fish I can find. Trout tastes best to me, but vary the recipe and see for yourself.

And I will say this: I am not a fan of trout. In fact, there are few fresh water fish that I really enjoy. So the thought of smoked trout just gave me the skeeves. Then, one day, on a trip to San Francisco, our friends Margie and Dana brought out as a freebie, an appetizer of smoked trout and vegetables on crostini. So in a situation like this, what do you do? One thing you DON'T do, unless there are serious ethical or religious obligations associated with the food (and they better be DAMN serious), you take a deep breath, and you eat.

And it was GOOD. So I still don't like fresh trout, but smoked trout? Hell yeah. (There's an even funnier story about the goose fat on pumpernickle bread, from a trip to Germany, but that's for another day. I still owe Andrea some vengeance for that one).

Well, the following smoked trout mousse recipe is one of my "go to" dishes. Smoked fish is always available, and so is cream. So is gelatin if you choose to use it. You don't need to. It firms up the mousse, but if you like a softer texture, leave it out. Wait till you see how easy this is.

You need about two cups of smoked fish, in small pieces. This is easier for the squeamish amongst us if you use salmon, or some other fish that is larger, so that you're buying a piece of it. For trout, you're going to be buying the whole fish, head and tail. And you're going to be pulling the meat off of the skin. I have no problem with this, but I have worked in a pathology lab and a morgue (it's true. More stories!), but if you do, stick to salmon or a sable fillet. Put the fish into a food processor, with a cup of heavy cream. Spin it to a smooth texture and you're done. Almost. Taste it. I keep on repeating this, but it's important. TASTE TASTE TASTE. Do not make assumptions. For example, with smoked trout, you may assume that things are going to be very salty, and they may be. But smoking a fish does not necessarily involve lots of salt, and you may need more. You may also feel it needs to be brightened, with a drop or two of lemon juice. This is especially true if that trout was smoked a while ago. And it could have been. Remember, smoking fish is intended to make it storage stable.

You spoon this all out into a kitchen and refrigerate it until you need it. Dark bread - like the aforementioned pumpernickle, or a strong rye bread, is ideal. Slice the bread thin, spread the fish mousse on it, and you can stop there. Or you can add things like chopped dill (my favorite), or fish roe, or preserved lemons, or anything you want. That's where you add the seasonal element. Now, I'll add dill. In the winter, maybe fish roe. In the spring, perhaps the lemon.

Make it this way the first time. If you like it, fine. Keep that formula. But let's assume you would like it a little firmer. Then what I would suggest is you dissolve a scant tablespoon of gelatin in two tablespoons of cold water (this is not a "slam dunk." You'll have to stir a while), and then put that into the processor with the fish. It will "set up" and you'll find yourself with something that you can actually mold in the center of a plate, and allow guests to slice or scoop off for themselves, if you like.

I prefer this one softer, but to each his own.

You can serve this all year long, and you should. Perhaps not every night, but if you're having a party and you're stuck, welll... Annalena is here to rescue you