Cured trout with verdita and vinho verde

Raw fish seems to be really popular right now but I had a fascinating variation the other day at Root restaurant in Bristol in the form of some raw Chalk Stream trout, cured in mezcal and dressed with verdita, a Mexican drink which is generally made from lime and pineapple juice, jalapeno pepper, coriander and mint and drunk as a chaser for tequila

Chef Rob Howell’s version was made with apple and cucumber and the fish topped with sliced jalapeño peppers, cherry tomatoes and baby rocket leaves. Absolutely delicious but not the easiest dish to pair with wine

I suppose we could have partnered it with a margarita had we known about the verdita but in fact the wine we’d chosen to go with what we’d ordered (practically everything on the menu) - a 2021 Vinho Verde called Chin Chin - worked perfectly being fresh, dry and at 11.5% relatively low in alcohol.

You’ll find it on quite a lot of restaurant lists - the label as you can see is really striking - or buy it online from around £9-11 from the Four Walls Wine Co (which sells it for £9.25) and other indies.

Something maybe to try for the Cinco de Mayo celebrations next week.

Rainbow trout ceviche and Western Australia riesling

I can’t actually believe I’ve never tried it before but I made some ceviche as part of a Zoom masterclass organised by the Bristol Food Union, a collaboration of local restaurateurs and food producers to raise money for those who have been most affected by the COVID 19 crisis.

The fish was a super-fresh rainbow trout from my local Bristol fish restaurant Spiny Lobster which we marinated with lime juice, red onion and chilli in a brilliantly simple recipe from from Elliott Lidstone of Box E (though I did have to fillet it first!)

I paired it with a 2019 Rocky Gully riesling from the Franklin River region of Western Australia which produces a slightly softer, richer style than the Clare and Eden Valley. It’s relatively high in alcohol, for riesling, at 13.5% but you do want a dry riesling with this type of dish and it offset the freshness of the ceviche beautifully. You can buy it from Berry Bros & Rudd for £15.25.

For other riesling pairings see The best food pairings for dry (or off-dry) riesling

Smoked trout and a Tricycle

My problem this week is that I have a terrific wine pairing but I can't tell you about it because it's the result of a tasting I was running for Decanter magazine. So you'll have to hang on till December for that. Sorry.

In the meantime here's my second best match which is not a wine at all but a Tricycle, a refreshing apple, cucumber and mint-based soft drink I had at the Riding House Café with my daughter this week. Like many places these days they specialise in small plates so it had to take an artichoke dip, salt cod fritters and red pepper aioli, cured trout, jalapeno pepper and crème fraîche (right) and sea bass ceviche with lime and chilli in its stride.

It actually coped very well, particularly with the trout, in much the same way, I think, as a herby Sauvignon Blanc would have done. (I always find it helps to think of a vinous equivalent of soft drinks.) I've ordered that kind of drink in Lebanese restaurants before and it goes well with mezze too.

It would also be a nice summery drink to take on a picnic for non-drinking friends. Assuming we still have some summer left, not obvious from today's overcast sky :(