Chef Gordon Ramsay's Trout with a Lemon & Caviar Sabayon

"This is how I like to serve trout at home, with a classically simple, light and eggy sabayon flavored with lemon and a spoon of Osietra caviar." Chef Gordon Ramsay

• 2 trout (preferably wild), about 2 1/4 pounds each
• 2 large globe artichokes
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• A little olive oil for frying
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sabayon

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Grated zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 tablespoon Osietra caviar

METHOD

Fillet the trouts, leaving the skin on. (Or ask your fish merchant to do this.) Check the flesh for pinbones with your fingertips and pull out with tweezers or thin pliers. Score the skin several times in even cuts using the tip of a razor-sharp knife. Set aside.

Cut off the artichoke stalks, pull off the leaves, trim the bases, and cut out the hairy choke. Cook the bottoms in boiling salted water with a good squeeze of lemon juice for about 15 minutes. Drain and cool, then cut into diamonds or slices.

Fry the pieces of artichoke in a little oil and butter until nicely browned. Drain and keep warm.

Preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, make the sabayon. Whisk the yolks, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and seasoning in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until the mixture triples in volume and becomes light and frothy. (It is best to do this with a portable electric mixer.) Remove the bowl from the water and set aside.

Brush the trout skin with a little oil and broil for about 4 minutes to crisp the skin. Turn over, season the flesh, and brush with more oil. Return to the broiler and cook for a few more minutes until just browned. Move farther away from the heat, and continue cooking until the trout feels just firm but sill springy when pressed, 4 - 5 minutes more minutes.

Return the bowl of sabayon to the simmering water and whisk quickly to froth up. Then off the heat, fold in the lemon zest and caviar.

Transfer the fish to four warmed plates, arrange the artichoke pieces around, and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 as a main dish

Reprinted with permission from ©2000, 2005 Gordon Ramsay, A Chef For All Seasons, published by Ten Speed Press click for book review

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