Page 34 - Foodservice Magazine October 2018

34
PRODUCE
VICTORIAN FRESHWATER TROUT – THE NEW, OLD FISH
FRESH AND LOCAL, EXCEPTIONAL VALUE FOR MONEY, AND SUITING THE MODERN PALATE, THIS MONTH JOHN SUSMAN
IS PUTTING VICTORIAN FRESHWATER RAINBOW TROUT ON THE TABLE.
Victorian freshwater rainbow trout is making a quite splash in the foodservice market. It has quietly become the go-to fish for chefs and home cooks wanting to put a tasty, affordable, clean and green plus locally grown protein on the plate.
The quality of Victorian freshwater trout starts with the purity of the water in which it is grown. Victorian trout is farmed in the cool clean water that flows from the snow-capped alps of the Great Dividing Range. This clean, cold, free-flowing water is crucial to the excellent health of the fish and ultimately the clean taste of its flesh.
Victorian freshwater trout are introduced to the ponds as fingerlings. They take around 11 months to reach an average size of 600 grams. Some trout are nurtured in the ponds for longer producing great, three-kilogram king trout, which can take about two years. They can be processed, cleaned, packed and in the chiller within an hour. With a fast, clean and efficient cold chain, trout can be taken from the pond, processed, sent to market, purchased by a chef and on the plate within 24 hours.
One of the big attractions of rainbow trout is that is has an excellent environmental track record. While there is a lot of talk about the effect large fish pens have on the marine environment, Victorian freshwater trout farms have been working for decades with the Environment Protection Authority to ensure that water re-entering the water system meets their strict requirements. Trout farmers also work closely with feed manufacturers who have developed a special low phosphorous feed. Phosphorous promotes algal growth so low phosphorous trout poop is a real bonus to the environment. Rainbow trout are excellent feeders and don’t waste their feed
(they have a feed conversion ratio of around 1.15:1). Trout are fed a diet free of hormones and free of antibiotics.
Victorian rainbow trout is also a healthy choice when it comes to omega 3. This is a protective fatty acid contained in trout the Australian Heart Foundation recommends that “all Australians should aim to include 2–3 serves of fish (including oily fish) per week as part of a heart healthy diet.” The good news is that trout is on the Heart Foundation’s hit list for healthy fish.
For chefs keen to put this clean, green, great tasting healthy fish on the menu, the news gets even better! Chef Benjamin Cooper from Chin Chin loves putting Victorian trout on the menu. “It is a fish that is so easy to cook,” says the affable family man. “It can be baked, grilled, steamed, barbequed, deep fried or char grilled,” he says. “It cooks quickly and evenly, and because it has quite a good content of
that omega 3-rich fat it is a hard fish to mess up. It cooks brilliantly every time.” He also loves the way that trout works so well with Asian flavours such as coriander, lemongrass, chilli and coconut which means he can put Victorian trout on the menu in his pan Asian CBD restaurant that sees people lined up down Flinders Street every night of the week.
A large portion of Victorian freshwater trout are sent for smoking. Fresh trout are first cured. A traditional brine is often used that contains salt to help preserve the fish and sugar to help keep the flesh soft. Special spices and herbs may be added but generally the predominant flavour is the smoke. Whole fish or fish fillets are placed in a smoking cabinet where slow burning selected wood chips impart a delicious smoky flavour. The combination of cure,
John Susman is the director of the seafood industry agency Fishtales. For more views, insights and understanding of the seafood industry visit thefishtale.com.au.