Crostini with poached trout and mixed olive tapenade

Created by our friend the talented Ontario chef Signe Langford.

“Simple and delicious this pretty little hors d’oeuvre is crispy, salty, and rich – perfect with a little bubbly. But if you’re not throwing a party, having poached trout and this tapenade in the fridge means you’ve always got the makings of a great sandwich! For this recipe, we used green and black kalamata olives.” — Signe Langford

Ingredients

• ¾ cup pitted green olives
• ¾ cup pitted black olives
• 6 anchovies
• ¾ cup loosely packed flat leaf or Italian parsley leaves and tender stems
• 2 Tbsp. capers
• The zest of one lemon
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil; plus more for toasting the bread
• Pinch chili flakes (optional)
• 2 filets Springhills trout, about 250g ea.
• 4 cups stock or water or half and half water and white wine
• 1 – 2 baguette, sliced 1/4-inch thick, either on the bias for larger pieces or in coins for smaller bites
• Sea salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Method

1. Add olives, anchovies, parsley, capers, zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes if using, to the bowl of a food processor and blend until finely minced, almost a paste. Transfer to a container and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
2. Into a saucepan over medium heat, add the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add the trout. Cover and simmer until opaque – about 10 minutes. Remove from cooking liquid and transfer to a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and gently flake the trout into bite-size pieces. Chill.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Into a large bowl add the sliced bread, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper; toss to coat as evenly as possible. A pure olive oil spray works well for this.
5. Arrange on baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden; flip the slices and continue to bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until nicely browned and crunchy.
6. To serve, spread the crostini with tapenade, then top with a few bits of the cold poached trout. Garnish with more parsley if desired.

Makes approx. 2 cups of tapenade, 2 cups of poached trout; 12 large crostini.

Chef’s Tip: When poached, trout skin becomes rubbery, but don’t toss it! There are two things you can do with it: give it to your dog or cat for a healthy treat, or fry it in a little olive oil until crispy, salt it and enjoy it yourself!