Elaines Salmon Trout With Spinach And Walnut Stuffing Recipe

How to make it

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• Carefully cut the underside of the fish from the end of the slit made when the fish was cleaned, to the tip of the tail.
• Place fish belly-side down, on flat work surface.
• Spread cut underside out to balance the fish more easily.
• Using the palm of your hand, press down along the backbone of the fish pushing the spine downwards.
• Turn the fish over, and, using a sharp boning knife, carefully pull the backbone away, cutting it away with scissors at the base of the head and tail. (If you feel you cannot bone the fish yourself, your local fishmonger could do this for you.)Remove backbone completely, and pull out any loose bones you may fine with a pair of tweezers.
• Lay the boned fish in the center of a large square of aluminum foil, lightly oiled with canola or olive oil.
• Set aside.
• Wash the spinach leaves well, and tear off any coarse stalks.
• Place spinach into a large saucepan and sprinkle with salt. Do not add any water. Cover and cook over low flame for about 3 minutes, then drain.
• Chop the cooked spinach very finely.
• Chop the onion finely, and cook briefly in a little of the butter until soft, but not browned.
• Combine onion with spinach, walnuts, breadcrumbs, herbs nutmeg, salt and pepper to your preference, and half of the lemon juice.
• Mix well to blend all ingredients evenly.
• Stuff the fish with this mixture, pushing in firmly enough to reshape the fish as though its backbone was still present. Allow some stuffing to protrude through the outside belly wall of the fish.
• Seal the tinfoil over the fish, but don’t wrap it too tightly.
• Bake @ 350* for 35 to 40 minutes.
• Carefully unwrap the fish, and transfer it to serving platter.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully peel away the skin on the exposed side of the cooked fish.
• Dot the fish with the remainder of the butter, and sprinkle with remaining lemon juice.
• Serve with decorative lemon slices as garnish.
• NOTE:
• To make this a low-cholesterol dish, you may sub the butter with margarine, although personally, I find real butter enhances the flavor.