Serves 6-8
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 40 minutes – 1 hour
Oven temperature 200°C

• 1 whole trout (about 1kg)
• 12 large grape leaves, washed
• 30ml olive oil
• 1 lemon and 1 lime, sliced

Filling

• 15ml each olive oil and butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 200ml jasmine or basmati rice, uncooked
• 5ml Chinese five spice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 450ml boiling water
• 5ml salt
• 30ml flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• 60ml almond flakes, toasted
• 15ml pine nuts, toasted

1 Prepare The Filling Fry the onion in the oil and butter until glossy. Add the rice and spices and fry for 2 minutes until all the grains are coated with oil. Stir in the boiling water and salt, cover and steam until done (about 12 minutes; follow the package instructions). Stir in the remaining ingredients and allow to cool slightly.
2 Preheat the oven. Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully cut along the backbone of the fish and remove the bone. Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the rice mixture. Wrap the fish in the vine leaves – the head and tail can stick out – and secure with thin string. Place on baking paper in an ovenproof dish and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the string once the fish is cooked and serve immediately.

Tips

• If you have too much filling, serve the surplus with the fish.
• If the fish can be flaked, it’s cooked; trout can be served medium-rare as long as the rice filling is heated through.

Text and image: Home magazine