For this Mercury Cook Your Catch demonstration, veteran outdoorsman Blaine Garrett shows how to make a trout salad sandwich that has a little something for everyone. There’s a little sweet and a little heat; a little creaminess and a little crunch. There’s guac and garlic and a mess of veggies, and when you put it all together, it’s a little bit of heaven. 

Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized rainbow trout
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 stick salted butter
• 3 lemons, sliced
• 8-12 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped celery
• 1-2 teaspoons sweet relish
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 4 ciabatta rolls
• 1 cup guacamole
• 1 jar creamy horseradish
• 1-2 cucumbers, sliced
• 1-2 cups spinach
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced

Preparation

Get started by preheating your grill to 350 degrees. With your grill heating up, it’s time to prepare your trout for the fire. Start by cutting four pieces of foil, each large enough to cover a fish. With the shiny side of the foil facing down, brush the dull side with a little extra-virgin olive oil. It won’t take much, maybe a teaspoon for each piece of foil. 

Next, place each of your fish on top of a greased piece of foil. Then, open up your trout, and put approximately a tablespoon of butter, a couple slices of lemon and two or three cloves of garlic inside each fish. Then, wrap the foil completely around each of your dressed trout.

Once your grill is warmed up to 350 degrees, carefully place all four of your fish on top of the grate, close the lid and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your trout.  

The goal is to cook the fish until the meat is good and flaky. Using some tongs, carefully pull the trout from the grill, remove the meat from the skin and bones, and place it into a medium-sized bowl. Next, add the red onion, celery, sweet relish, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste. Finally, squeeze a little lemon into the bowl.

At this point, it’s a good idea to give everything a stir to check the consistency. You certainly don’t want your salad to be too dry or too wet. Next, taste your salad to see how things are coming together. Depending on the personality of your palate, you might want to add a little more relish, red onion or mayo, or any of the other ingredients, for that matter.

Next, cut your ciabatta rolls in half, buttering each side. Then, brush a little melted butter on the tops and bottoms and throw them on the grill to brown. Make sure you keep a close eye on them as it won’t take but a minute or two to brown them up nicely, and only another minute to render them black. Once they’re a beautiful golden brown color, remove them from the grill and set aside.

Then, spread a layer of guacamole on all four bottom buns, followed by a thin layer of creamy-style horseradish to the top buns. Scoop some of the trout salad on the side with the guacamole. Put a few thin slices of cucumbers on each sandwich, a bit of spinach and a slice of tomato. Finally, cut it down the middle, either straight or on a diagonal. And if you can’t decide, split the difference.

And that is how you make a truly fantastic trout salad sandwich, Blaine Garrett style. Now, what are you waiting for … dig in!