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Lucy Downes Smoked Trout Spaghetti Recipe

Background on dish: Living in Italy while teaching English for 3 years I missed some of the food from England so my mum would bring out food parcels for me and created a really delicious English/Italian hot smoked trout spaghetti dish with fennel and capers and chillies from our garden in Watford. It is a little bit Italian and a little bit English. Now I am back in Watford I am missing the wonderful Italian food but mum is still making the fusion pasta dish for me - it is also gluten free as I am a coeliac. It is fabulous! And as she makes it in 20 minutes it is perfect for when I come home from school.

Ingredients:

• 200g hot smoked trout
• 2 fennel bulbs thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 lemon drop chilli finely chopped
• Glug of white wine
• Olive oil
• 1/2 lemon juice & grated rind
• 1 big tablespoon of capers
• Chopped parsley
• Half a bag of rocket

Method: 

• Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Add spaghetti or linguine and cook according to time (GF pasta takes less time than non-GF). Remove a cup of pasta water.
• Cook the fennel in a tablespoon of olive oil in a big frying pan for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli, lemon zest, lemon juice and capers and cook for a minute or two, add the wine and cook for another 2 minutes, add the chunky flakes of smoked trout.
• Add the pasta from the saucepan into the frying pan using tongs and mix, stir in the parsley. Add extra pasta water if it is needed. Season to taste.
• Serve with the rocket on top.