Wild Hibiscus Glazed Ocean Trout with Champagne & Lemon Cous Cous ‘Risotto’, Pickled Cucumber & Crab Filled Flower!

Ingredients 

Wild Hibiscus Glaze

1 jar syrup from Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup (reserve flowers for crab)

1 cup red wine

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Bush Tomato Ground* spice

Chutney

Champagne and Lemon

Cous Cous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, white part only cleaned and sliced

1 cup Israeli (pearl) cous cous

1 cup sparkling wine

1 cup water or stock

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

salt, to taste

Pickled Cucumber

1 English cucumber

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

pinch of sugar

pinch of salt

Crab Filled Flower

2 tablespoons fine crab meat

1 teaspoon natural yogurt or crème fraiche

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Wasabi tobiko, optional

Trout

6, 1 ½ inch thick slices Ocean Trout, skin and bones removed (or use Steelhead)

2 tablespoons Murray River Lake Salt

2 teaspoons Australian Mountain Pepper*

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the glaze, simmer ½ cup of the syrup, the wine and vinegar in a small saucepan over a medium/low heat until reduced to a thin glaze. Separate 6 of the flowers into petals and add to the hot glaze, cover and turn off heat. Just before serving, whisk in the chutney.

For the cous cous, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the leek and sauté for 1 minute, just to soften, not brown. Add the cous cous and cook a minute further. Add the sparkling wine and bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly all liquid is absorbed. Add the water and simmer until cous cous is just tender. Remove from heat, add the lemon zest and juice and fluff with a fork. Cover and set aside.

To prepare the cucumber, using the shredding attachment of a mandolin, julienne the cucumber, by running it through lengthwise. Gently warm the vinegar, salt and sugar in a saucepan or microwave until just dissolved, pour over the cucumber. Allow to “pickle” at room temperature. Just before serving, drain well.

Using a small blender, puree the crab with the yogurt and lemon and spoon or pipe into 6 Hibiscus flowers. Set aside

To finish the dish, roll the trout slices into pinwheels and tie around outside with butcher’s string. Generously brush the top with Hibiscus syrup and dust with the

salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an ovenproof pan over high heat and add the trout. Cook just until a brown crust forms, turn over and transfer to a preheated 350F oven. Bake until medium rare, still pink inside, about 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Remove string.

Spoon the cous cous into a round on plates, using a ring mould if desired, top with the trout. Twist the cucumber into nests with a fork and place on the salmon.

Carefully nestle a crab filled flower into the cucumber, then spoon the glaze around the dish, with a little drizzled on top.