GRILLED PANCETTA-WRAPPED TROUT WITH VERJUS, CRUSHED GRAPES, AND FENNEL GRATIN

Grilled Pancetta-Wrapped Trout with Verjus, Crushed Grapes, and Fennel Gratin image

Rainbow trout is a delicious option for fish-loving home cooks. It's available year-round and won't break the bank even when you want to feed a crowd. Have your fishmonger bone and butterfly the trout for you, leaving the tail intact and keeping the two fillets attached on the fin side. This preparation is a study in contrasts, a three-way complement to the flaky flesh of the trout. The blushing sweet-tart sauce is made with both crushed grapes and verjus, the juice of unripe wine grapes. (The French used verjus in medieval and Renaissance times in much the same way we use vinegar or lemon juice today.) Less acidic and more complex than most vinegar, the verjus's refreshing fruitiness plays counterpoint to the salty cured Italian bacon wrapped around the trout. And finally, hidden within this lively package: rich, herbaceous sorrel cream, bringing us back to earth.

Number Of Ingredients 31

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups sliced sorrel
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 trout, 8 ounces each, boned and butterflied
6 slices pancetta, about 1/8-inch thick
1 cup red seedless grapes, picked from the stems
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch watercress, cleaned, tough stems removed
Verjus sauce (recipe follows)
Fennel gratin (recipe follows)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup verjus
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 pounds fennel (4 or 5 bulbs)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 fresh bay leaves, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds or dill
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, and when it foams, stir in the red onion. Add the thyme, a healthy pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Sauté about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. Add the sorrel to the pan, and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the cream, and cook, stirring continuously, about 3 minutes, as the cream reduces and coats the onions. Taste for seasoning, and transfer to a plate to cool completely.
Lay the trout, skin side down, on a cutting board, open like a book. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread the sorrel onions on one side of each fish. Fold the fish back together, and wrap each trout with a piece of pancetta, spiraling the meat around the fish like the stripe on a candy cane. Refrigerate the fish until 15 minutes before cooking.
Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before cooking.
Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, pound the grapes until they're partially crushed. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the parsley, a healthy pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper.
When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the trout with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the trout 3 to 4 minutes on each side, rotating the fish a quarter-turn after a couple of minutes, to get the skin crispy.
Scatter the watercress on a large platter, and place the trout on top. Spoon the warm verjus sauce over the fish, and top with the crushed grapes. Serve the fennel gratin at the table.
Place the grapes, shallot, and verjus in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
Transfer to a blender, and, with the motor running, add the cold butter a little at a time, blending until the butter is just incorporated. Taste for seasoning, and add a little lemon juice, a pinch of pepper, and more salt if you like. Return the sauce to the pan, cover, and keep in a warm place. Reheat just before serving.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Toast the fennel seeds in a small saucepan over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, until they release their aroma and are a light gold color. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the seeds coarsely.
Trim the root end of the fennel, cut the stalks off where they meet the bulb, and peel off any outer layers that are brown or bruised. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, leaving the core intact. Place the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board, and slice the fennel thinly lengthwise. You should have about 6 cups of sliced fennel.
Toss the fennel in a large bowl with the onion, thyme, bay leaves, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of pepper.
Slice the potatoes on a mandoline into 1/16-inch-thick slices. Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with the cream and 1 teaspoon salt.
Add the potatoes and parsley to the fennel, scraping all the cream into the bowl. Toss well to combine, and taste for seasoning.
Arrange one layer of potato slices in the pan, overlapping them slightly, on the bottom of a gratin dish. (For this recipe, I like to use a copper or black iron dish, so the potatoes get extra crisp.)
Toss the remaining fennel-potato mixture again, and arrange it over the layer of potatoes. Pour all the remaining creamy juices over the top. Bake about 45 minutes, until the potato is cooked and the fennel is golden and slightly crispy on top.
You can stuff and wrap the fish the morning before you plan to grill it. Both the fennel gratin and the verjus sauce can also be prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving.