Home-smoked trout frittata

SERVES 6

10 bantam eggs or 6 large free-range eggs

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

6 purple Congo potatoes, peeled and diced

olive oil

25 g (1 oz) butter

½ red onion, thinly sliced

3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

about 50 g (1¾ oz) finely chopped dandelion leaves or rocket (arugula)

about 60 g (2¼ oz) finely chopped kale or silverbeet (Swiss chard)

100 g (3½ oz) snow peas (mangetout), sliced

200 g (7 oz) smoked trout (about 4 fillets, see below)

60 g (2¼ oz) Greek feta cheese

SMOKED TROUT

240 g (8½ oz) salt

95 g (3¼ oz/½ cup) soft brown sugar

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) Rogers’ Ale from Little Creatures Brewing company

2 tablespoons honey

2 litres (70 fl oz/8 cups) water

4 rainbow trout fillets, skin on

Hickory or Mesquite woodchips, for smoking

For the smoked trout: Mix the salt, sugar, beer, honey and water to make a brine. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Soak the trout fillets with the skin on for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the brine and pat dry before putting in your smoker or on the barbecue.

To smoke the trout, use small pieces of wood and put them on a triple layer of foil. Then lay that foil directly onto the barbecue burner by removing the cooking grate that sits above it. Place the fish on the grill next to the smoking wood or on a wire rack so that the smoke can surround and envelope the fish — do not put the fish over the wood or too near the flame. Put the lid down and let the smoke do its job. You want the internal temperature of the barbecue to be around 100°C (200°F) and you want a good, constant stream of smoke. Have a spray bottle handy to dampen the flame in case any of the wood catches fire as it will be acrid and make the fish taste unpleasant.

Smoke the trout in the barbecue for 10–15 minutes until the fish flakes when tested with a fork. When the trout is cooked, remove from the barbecue and flake the fish off the skin and discard it.

For the frittata: Beat the eggs with the milk and season with the chilli, cumin and some salt and pepper and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a splash of olive oil in a hot frying pan for about 15–20 minutes or until cooked and coloured. Set aside.

Put the butter in a hot frying pan and, when foaming, add the red onion and spring onion and cook until softened. Add the dandelion leaves, kale and snow peas and cook until softened, then add the milk and egg mixture. Crumble the smoked trout evenly around the pan and do the same with the feta. Do not stir. Reduce the heat so that the bottom will cook and set but not burn. When the egg is fairly set you can put the pan under the grill (broiler) to cook the top and give it some good colour.

Serve straight from the pan with some bread.