Sea Trout and Baby Leeks with Crushed Potato and Tomato Butter

Things haven't slowed down for Seamus and me. Between our jobs, visitors (my parents were just here for my dad's birthday), and trips, we  have been rolling into Fall full-steam ahead.

Seamus busted out one of our favorite cookbooks for this recipe; in fact, Seamus thinks this might be the first cook book he ever had (his mom gave it to us as a gift for Xmas). We love Gordon Ramsay, and this cookbook is chock-full of great recipes. This one is no exception!

This dish is essentially a fancy potato salad, brown tomatoes, and fish with a delicious sauce. We had to make several substitutions (milk for cream, Italian seasoning for basil, apple cider vinegar for sherry vinegar), but it still turned out fabulous. Seamus and I were both grinning ear to ear as we ate this!

Sea Trout and Baby Leeks with Crushed Potato and Tomato Butter

Courtesy of Gordon Ramsay in "Gordon Ramsay Makes it Easy"

Ingredients
2 wild sea trout or salmon fillets, with skin, about 5 oz each
9 oz new potatoes, peeled
sea salt and pepper
4 oz vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
4 oz baby leeks, halved
few scallions, chopped
2 tbsp classic vinaigrette

Tomato Butter Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter, diced
1 tbsp chopped basil

Directions
Check the fish fillets for tiny bones, score the skin side deeply, and set aside. Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the tomato butter sauce, heat the olive oil in a small pan, add the tomatoes, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add the sherry vinegar and sugar, and whiz to a puree. Pass through a strainer back into the pan. Add the cream and simmer for a few minutes. Whisk in the butter and basil, keep warm.

Put the tomato halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 5 minutes. Steam the leeks until tender.

Drain the potatoes, toss with a little olive oil over heat, then crush lightly with the back of a fork. Stir in the scallions and vinaigrette. Season to taste.

To cook the fish, heat a nonstick skillet and add the olive oil. Saute the fish, skin side down, for 3.5 minutes or until the skin is crisp, then turn and cook for 30 seconds only. Season lightly and rest in the pan for a few minutes.

Pile the crushed potato and leeks in the center of two warm serving plates and top with the fish fillets. Surround with the cherry tomatoes and serve the tomato butter sauce on the side.