Make Café Colette's Pan-Roasted Trout, by New Chef Charles Brassard

Pan-Roasted Trout, with all the fixin's

The new chef at Café Colette (79 Berry Street, Brooklyn) in Williamsburg has been busy since taking the job. Charles Brassard, formerly of August and Little Giant, implemented a new menu inspired by his many trips to the Greenmarket. He shares the recipe for his Pan-Roasted Trout, served with toasted farro, fava beans, morels, and salsa verde.

"I've been getting the most incredible trout from Sullivan County Farms," says Brassard. "I pair it with other seasonal ingredients like fava beans and morels. This dish is pretty simple, but is bright and fresh with lots of texture. To make this dish, I pan-roast trout on high heat with vegetable oil until the skin is nice and crispy, and the inside has just a bit of pink. The trout gets placed on top of this mixture of locally sourced farro from upstate New York, tossed with morels that are just lightly sautéed in butter and quick-blanched fava beans. I usually make salsa verde with herbs I find in the Greenmarket, mixed with capers and anchovies."

Pan-Roasted Trout With Toasted Farro, Fava Beans, Morels, and Salsa Verde
by Charles Brassard at Café Colette

For the Salsa Verde:

1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup chives
1/4 cup chervil
1 teaspoon capers
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

In a mixing bowl, finely chop all the ingredients and combine with olive oil, salt, and pepper, enough to cover the mixture.

For the Toasted Farro:

1 cup farro
1 ounce olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, grated on Microplane
salt and pepper, to taste

In an oven heated to 300 degrees F, toast the farro on a baking sheet for about half an hour or until the farro is golden brown. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add the farro, coating all the grains evenly. Add 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Cook on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender. Strain any excess liquid. Toss the farro in olive oil and cool.

For the Fava Beans:

1 cup fava beans

In a pot of boiling water, blanch the fava beans for 45 seconds, then shock in an ice-water bath. Peel, and set aside.

For the Morels:

1/2 morels
butter, for sautéing

Trim the morels, and wash them 3 times in cold water. Cut them in half or quarters, depending on the size. In a pan over low to medium heat, sauté them with butter. The morels will cook in their own liquid and should come out a little creamy. Cool, and set aside.

For the Trout:

1 whole trout
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chives

In a pan over high heat, sear the trout in vegetable oil. When one side is golden brown, flip over and place in an oven heated to 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes. The fish is done when there is a trace of pink still visible.

While the fish is cooking, in a pan over medium heat, toast a clove of garlic in olive oil. Add the farro, and toast in oil. Reduce the heat, and add the morels to warm through. Then, add the fava beans and warm through. Plate with the fish on top, and finish with the lemon juice, fresh parsley, and chives.

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